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Oliver Goldsmith Quotes - Page 3

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The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.

The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.

Oliver Goldsmith
Lasts, Found, Circumstances
Oliver Goldsmith (1837). “The Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith, M.B.: To which is Prefixed Some Account of His Life and Writings”, p.5

The soul may be compared to a field of battle, where the armies are ready every moment to encounter. Not a single vice but has a more powerful opponent, and not one virtue but may be overborne by a combination of vices.

Oliver Goldsmith
Powerful, Army, Soul
Oliver Goldsmith (1825). “Miscellaneous works”, p.189

Tenderness is a virtue.

Oliver Goldsmith
Virtue, Tenderness
"The Good-Natur'd Man". Play by Oliver Goldsmith, 1768.

Hope is such a bait, it covers any hook.

Oliver Goldsmith
Hope, Bait, Hook

In all the silent manliness of grief.

Oliver Goldsmith
Grief, Silence, Silent
'The Deserted Village' (1770) l. 384

Silence is become his mother tongue.

Oliver Goldsmith
Mother, Silence, Tongue
'The Good-Natured Man' (1768) act 2

Aromatic plants bestow no spicy fragrance while they grow; but crush'd or trodden to the ground, diffuse their balmy sweets around.

Oliver Goldsmith
Crush, Sweet, Adversity
Oliver Goldsmith (1849). “The Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith: With an Account of His Life and Writings : Stereotyped from the Paris Edition : Complete in One Volume”, p.221

Those who think must govern those that toil.

Oliver Goldsmith
Thinking, Toil
Oliver Goldsmith (1818). “The poems and plays of Oliver Goldsmith”, p.16

A man who leaves home to mend himself and others is a philosopher; but he who goes from country to country, guided by the blind impulse of curiosity, is a vagabond.

Oliver Goldsmith
Country, Travel, Home
Oliver Goldsmith (1809). “The Citizen of the World; Or, Letters from a Chinese Philosopher: Residing in London, to His Friends in the Country”, p.24

Both wit and understanding are trifles without integrity; it is that which gives value to every character. The ignorant peasant, without fault, is greater than the philosopher with many; for what is genius or courage without a heart?

Oliver Goldsmith
Inspirational, Art, Integrity
"The Vicar of Wakefield".

Whatever mitigates the woes, or increases the happiness of others, is a just criterion of goodness; and whatever injures society at large, or any individual in it, is a criterion of iniquity.

Oliver Goldsmith
Happiness, Individuality, Woe

People seek within a short span of life to satisfy a thousand desires, each of which is insatiable.

Oliver Goldsmith
Inspirational, Life, People

As boys should be educated with temperance, so the first greatest lesson that should be taught them is to admire frugality. It is by the exercise of this virtue alone they can ever expect to be useful members of society.

Oliver Goldsmith
Exercise, Boys, Lessons
Oliver Goldsmith (1854). “The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: The bee. Essays. Unacknowledged essays. Prefaces, introductions, etc”, p.171

We are all sure of two things, at least; we shall suffer and we shall all die.

Oliver Goldsmith
Destiny, Two, Suffering

If you were to make little fishes talk, they would talk like whales.

Oliver Goldsmith
Whales, Littles, Fishes
Oliver Goldsmith (1862). “Poetical Works”, p.80

One man is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and the other with a wooden ladle.

Oliver Goldsmith
Men, Mouths, Spoons

The true use of speech is not so much to express our wants as to conceal them.

Oliver Goldsmith
Use It Or Lose It, Speech, Want
'Essays' 5 'The Use of Language'

True generosity is a duty as indispensably necessary as those imposed upon us by the law. It is a rule imposed upon us by reason, which should be the sovereign law of a rational being.

Oliver Goldsmith
Law, Generosity, Sovereign
Oliver Goldsmith (1854). “The works of Oliver Goldsmith, ed. by P. Cunningham”, p.165

Friendship is made up of esteem and pleasure; pity is composed of sorrow and contempt: the mind may for some time fluctuate between them, but it can never entertain both at once.

Oliver Goldsmith
Friendship, Mind, Sorrow
Oliver Goldsmith (1868). “The vicar of Wakefield, poems, and essays”, p.258

Villainy, when detected, never gives up, but boldly adds impudence to imposture.

Oliver Goldsmith
Giving Up, Add, Impudence
Oliver Goldsmith (1854). “The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: Enquiry into the present state of polite learning. The citizen of the world”, p.467

I have known a German Prince with more titles than subjects, and a Spanish nobleman with more names than shirts.

Oliver Goldsmith
Names, Society, Titles
Oliver Goldsmith (1819). “Citizen of the World”, p.238

I chose my wife, as she did her wedding gown, for qualities that would wear well.

Oliver Goldsmith
Anniversary, Wedding, Wife

True genius walks along a line, and, perhaps, our greatest pleasure is in seeing it so often near falling, without being ever actually down.

Oliver Goldsmith
Fall, Genius, Lines
Oliver Goldsmith (1856). “The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: Comprising His Poems, Comedies, Essays, and Vicar of Wakefield”, p.287

It has been remarked that almost every character which has excited either attention or pity has owed part of its success to merit, and part to a happy concurrence of circumstances in its favor. Had Caesar or Cromwell exchanged countries, the one might have been a sergeant and the other an exciseman.

Oliver Goldsmith
Country, Character, Favors
Oliver Goldsmith (1819). “Essays and poems, by Dr. Oliver Goldsmith. To which are prefixed, memoirs of the author”, p.3

There are some faults so nearly allied to excellence that we can scarce weed out the vice without eradicating the virtue.

Oliver Goldsmith
Weed, Marijuana, Excellence
'The Good-Natured Man' (1768) act 1

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