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Philip Gilbert Hamerton Quotes - Page 2

High culture always isolates, always drives men out of their class, and makes it more difficult for them to share naturally and easily the common class-life around them. They seek the few companions who can understand

High culture always isolates, always drives men out of their class, and makes it more difficult for them to share naturally and easily the common class-life around them. They seek the few companions who can understand them, and when these are not to be had within a traversable distance, they sit and work alone.

Philip Gilbert Hamerton
Distance, Men, Class
Philip Gilbert Hamerton (1873). “The Intellectual Life: With a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, etched by Leopold Flameng”, p.328

Conversation is interesting in proportion to the originality of the central ideas which serve as pivots and the fitness of the little facts and observations which are contributed by the talkers.

Philip Gilbert Hamerton
Ideas, Interesting, Littles
Philip Gilbert Hamerton (1873). “The Intellectual Life: With a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, etched by Leopold Flameng”, p.262

Society is, and must be, based upon appearances, and not upon the deepest appearances, and not realities.

Philip Gilbert Hamerton
Reality, Society, Appearance

Society will be obeyed; if you refuse obedience, you must take the consequences. Society has only one law, and that is custom. Even religion itself is socially powerful only just so far as it has custom on its side.

Philip Gilbert Hamerton
Powerful, Law, Society
Philip Gilbert Hamerton (1875). “The Intellectual Life”, p.195

Thackeray and Balzac will make it possible for our descendants to live over again the England and France of to-day. Seen in this light, the novelist has a higher office than merely and amuse his contemporaries.

Philip Gilbert Hamerton
Light, Office, Novelists
Philip Gilbert Hamerton (1873). “Thoughts about Art”, p.1

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