Thomas Carlyle

Essayist, Historian, Novelist

Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish philosopher and historian known for his influential works on history and heroism, particularly 'On Heroes and Hero Worship.'

Born
December 4, 1795
Died
February 5, 1881
Quotes
820
Rank
#564

About Thomas Carlyle

Thomas Carlyle — Life and Legacy

Thomas Carlyle, a prominent Scottish philosopher and historian of the 19th century, is best known for his exploration of history and the role of great individuals within it. His seminal work, 'On Heroes and Hero Worship,' presents the idea that history is largely shaped by the actions and influences of exceptional individuals. Carlyle's perspective challenges the notion of history as a mere collection of events, instead arguing that it is the essence of countless biographies, each contributing to the larger narrative of humanity. Carlyle's quotes often reflect his belief in the moral responsibilities of leaders and the significance of personal integrity. For instance, when he asserts that 'A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats the little man,' he emphasizes the ethical dimensions of leadership. This idea resonates with his broader philosophy that true greatness is measured not just by achievements but by one's character and treatment of others. Today, Carlyle's insights remain relevant as they provoke thought about the nature of leadership and the impact of individual actions on society. His work encourages readers to consider the narratives that shape our understanding of history and the importance of recognizing the contributions of those who may otherwise be overlooked.

Quote collection

Thomas Carlyle quotes (page 1 of 41)

820 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"Teach a parrot the terms 'supply and demand' and you've got an economist."

Read quote 114 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything."

Read quote 97 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May; but at length the season of summer does come."

Read quote 88 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"No man lives without jostling and being jostled; in all ways he has to elbow himself through the world, giving and receiving offence."

Read quote 84 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom."

Read quote 78 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none."

Read quote 67 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"These Arabs, the man Mahomet, and that one century, - is it not as if a spark had fallen, one spark, on a world of what proves explosive powder, blazes heaven-high from Delhi to Granada! I said, the Great man was always as lightning out of Heaven; the rest of men waited for him like fuel, and then they too would flame."

Read quote 62 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"Foolish men imagine that because judgment for an evil thing is delayed, there is no justice; but only accident here below. Judgment for an evil thing is many times delayed some day or two, some century or two, but it is sure as life, it is sure as death."

Read quote 59 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"War is a quarrel between two thieves too cowardly to fight their own battle."

Read quote 58 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"When we can drain the Ocean into mill-ponds, and bottle up the Force of Gravity, to be sold by retail, in gas jars; then may we hope to comprehend the infinitudes of man's soul under formulas of Profit and Loss; and rule over this too, as over a patent engine, by checks, and valves, and balances."

Read quote 56 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"Superstition! that horrid incubus which dwelt in darkness, shunning the light, with all its racks, and poison chalices, and foul sleeping draughts, is passing away without return. Religion cannot pass away. The burning of a little straw may hide the stars of the sky; but the stars are there and will reappear."

Read quote 53 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"Egotism is the source and summary of all faults and miseries."

Read quote 52 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"We have our little theory on all human and divine things. Poetry, the workings of genius itself, which, in all times, with one or another meaning, has been called Inspiration, and held to be mysterious and inscrutable, is no longer without its scientific exposition. The building of the lofty rhyme is like any other masonry or bricklaying: we have theories of its rise, height, decline and fall -- which latter, it would seem, is now near, among all people."

Read quote 51 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"A man lives by believing something: not by debating and arguing about many things."

Read quote 44 likes
Thomas Carlyle Essayist, Historian, Novelist
Popular

"Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all."

Read quote 42 likes