John Morley

I pressed the very obvious point that you must take into account not only a man’s intellectual product or his general stature, but also (M169) his influence as a historic force.

From the point of view of influence Locke was the origin of the emancipatory movement of the eighteenth century abroad, and laid the philosophic foundations of liberalism in civil government at home.

But far be it from me to deny that Hume saw deeper than Locke into the metaphysical millstone.

I’m only thinking of his historic place, and, after all, the history of philosophy is itself a philosophy.” To minds nursed in dogmatic schools, all this is both unpalatable and incredible.

As against bad air, I said, you must set good food; the Lancashire operative in decent times lives uncommonly well, as he deserves to do.

I stood up for Mazzini, as one of the most morally impressive men I had ever known, or that his age knew; he breathed a soul into democracy.

I don’t love him, but he was a mighty big fellow.

Blunders in Government.—How right Napoleon was when he said, reflecting on all the vast complexities of government, that the best to be said of a statesman is that he has avoided the biggest blunders.

I never knew anybody less guilty of the tiresome sin of arguing for victory.

It is not his knowledge that attracts; it is not his ethical tests and standards; it is not that dialectical strength of arm which, as Mark Pattison said of him, could twist a bar of iron to its purpose.

It is the combination of these with elevation, with true sincerity, with extraordinary mental force.

Sunday, Jan. 3.—Vauvenargues is right when he says that to carry through great undertakings, one must act as though one could never die.

The wonderful continuity of fine poetry in England for five whole centuries, stretching from Chaucer to Tennyson, always a proof to his mind of the soundness, the sap, and the vitality of our nation and its character.

Fool’d with hope, men favour the deceit; Trust on, and think to-morrow will repay.

To-morrow’s falser than the former day; Lies worse, and while it says we shall be blest With some new joys, cuts off what we possest.

He regards it as a remarkable sign of the closeness of the church of England to the roots of life and feeling in the country, that so many clergymen should have written so much good poetry.

G.—Unless a man has a considerable gift for taking things as they come, he may make up his mind that political life will be sheer torment to him.

There ought to be no obstacle to the entry of food for the people.

Thought the effect of diplomacy to be bad on the character; to train yourself to practise the airs of genial friendship towards men from whom you are doing your best to hide yourself, and out of whom you are striving to worm that which…

Gladstone let drop what for him seems the remarkable judgment that “Man as a type has not improved since those great times; he is not so big, so grand, so heroic as he has been.” This, the reader will agree, demands a good deal of…

The truth is that we’re both chained to the oar; I am chained to the oar; you are chained.

One white speck,” he said, almost laughing, “I can do with, but if the one becomes many, it will be a bad business.

Again, the path of honour in Ireland was equally the path of honour and of safety in Great Britain.

Were British liberals, who had given him a majority, partly from disgust at Irish coercion, partly from faith that he could produce a working plan of Irish government, and partly from hopes of reforms of their own—were they to learn that…

I would use my best endeavours to make these States independent in matters of administration.