Benjamin Disraeli quotes
Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881): British statesman. The library holds 115 quotes by Benjamin Disraeli, drawn from Sybil, Endymion, Speech, Nov and other works. The 60 below are the most quoted; search the library in the maker for the rest.
Often about: life, power, creativity, time, knowledge, art
The best-known Benjamin Disraeli quotes
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It is much easier to be critical than to be correct.
Speech, Jan. 24, 1860 -
Every production of genius must be the production of enthusiasm.
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The world is a wheel, and it will all come round right.
Endymion, Chap. lxx -
Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.
Coningsby, Book iii. Chap. i -
Patience is a necessary ingredient of genius.
Contarini Fleming, Part iv. Chap. v -
The secret of success is constancy to purpose.
Speech, June 24, 1870 -
Principle is ever my motto, not expediency.
Sybil, Book ii. Chap. ii -
Everything comes if a man will only wait.
Tancred, Book iv. Chap. viii. (1847.) -
We are not indebted to the reason of man for any of the great achievements which are the landmarks of human action and human progress.
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Opportunity is more powerful even than conquerors and prophets.
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“As for that,” said Waldenshare, “sensible men are all of the same religion.” “Pray, what is that?” inquired the Prince. “Sensible men never tell.”
Endymion, Chap. lxxxi -
Christianity teaches us to love our neighbour. Modern society acknowledges no neighbour.
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The characteristic of the present age is craving credulity.
Speech, Nov. 25, 1864 -
Nurture your mind with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes.
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To govern men, you must either excel them in their accomplishments or despise them.
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The disappointment of manhood succeeds to the delusion of youth: let us hope that the heritage of old age is not despair.
Vivian Grey, Book viii. Chap. iv -
One should never think of death. One should think of life: that is real piety.
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There is more serfdom in England now than at any time since the Conquest.
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To tax the community for the advantage of a class is not protection; it is plunder, and I disclaim it.
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Silence often expresses more powerfully than speech the verdict and judgment of society.
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The Duke of Wellington brought to the post of first minister immortal fame,—a quality of success which would almost seem to include all others.
Sybil, Book i. Chap. iii -
When men are pure, laws are useless; when men are corrupt, laws are broken.
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Every cottage should have its porch, its oven, and its tank.
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Grief is the agony of an instant; the indulgence of grief the blunder of a life.
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Nine-tenths of existing books are nonsense, and the clever books are the refutation of that nonsense.
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Patriotism depends as much on mutual suffering as on mutual success.
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Mr. Kremlin was distinguished for ignorance; for he had only one idea, and that was wrong.
Sybil, Book iv. Chap. v -
A great man is one who affects the mind of his generation.
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Increased means and increased leisure are the two civilizers of man.
Speech, April 3, 1872 -
Economy does not consist in the reckless reduction of estimates; on the contrary, such a course almost necessarily tends to increased expenditure. There can be no economy where there is no efficiency.
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Perseverance and tact are the two great qualities most valuable for all men who would mount, but especially for those who have to step out of the crowd.
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The people of England are the most enthusiastic in the world.
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A consistent man believes in destiny, a capricious man in chance.
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The author who speaks about his own books is almost as bad as a mother who talks about her own children.
Speech, Nov. 19, 1870 -
Change is inevitable in a progressive country—is constant.
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Propriety of manners, and consideration for others, are the two main characteristics of a gentleman.
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There is a magic in the memory of schoolboy friendships; it softens the heart, and even affects the nervous system of those who have no hearts.
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What art was to the ancient world, science is to the modern.
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To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.
Sybil, Book i. Chap. v -
The legacy of heroes—the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.
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Colonies don’t cease to be colonies because they are independent.
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Man is not the creature of circumstances. Circumstances are the creatures of men.
Vivian Grey, Book vi. Chap. vii -
There is no gambling like politics… Nothing in which the power of circumstance is more evident.
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Description is always a bore, both to the describer and the describee.
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Great revolutions, whatever may be their causes, are not lightly commenced, and are not concluded with precipitation.
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Predominant opinions are generally the opinions of the generation that is vanishing.
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The necessities of things are sterner stuff than the hopes of men.
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No affections and a great brain; these are the men to command the world.
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Upon the education of the people of this country the fate of this country depends.
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Nothing in life is more remarkable than the unnecessary anxiety which we endure and generally occasion ourselves.
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There is nothing in which the power of circumstance is more evident than in politics.
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Imagination is too often accompanied with a somewhat irregular logic.
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Individuals may form communities, but it is institutions alone can create a nation.
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That when a man fell into his anecdotage, it was a sign for him to retire.
Lothair, Chap. xxviii -
Increased means and increased leisure are the two civilisers of men.
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Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.
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Scientific, like spiritual truth, has ever from the beginning been descending from heaven to man.
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The Athanasian Creed is the most splendid ecclesiastical lyric ever poured forth by the genius of man.
Endymion, Chap. lii -
England is a domestic country: here home is revered and the hearth sacred.
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Man is not the creature of circumstances; circumstances are the creatures of men. We are free agents, and man is more powerful than matter.
Where these quotes come from
- Sybil (10 quotes)
- Endymion (4 quotes)
- Speech, Nov (3 quotes)
- Vivian Grey (3 quotes)
- Speech, April (2 quotes)
- Lothair (2 quotes)
- Speech, Jan (1 quote)
- Coningsby (1 quote)
Every quote comes from a public-domain edition. How the library was made .