Lord (George Gordon) Byron Quotes

A collection of quotes by Lord (George Gordon) Byron.

Lord Byron, born George Gordon Byron on January 22, 1788, in London, was an English poet, politician, and leading figure of the Romantic movement. Known for his flamboyant lifestyle and passionate writings, Byron became one of the most influential and celebrated poets of his time.

Byron grew up in a troubled family and inherited the title and estate of his great-uncle at the age of ten. He attended Harrow School and later studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he developed a reputation for his wit, charm, and love of adventure. Inspired by the Romantic poets and classic literature, he began writing poems and gained instant fame with works like "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" which documented his travels through Europe.

His bold and controversial lifestyle brought him both adulation and criticism. Byron had numerous love affairs, including a scandalous affair with his half-sister, and was known for his intense relationships with both men and women. Despite his tumultuous personal life, his poetry resonated deeply with readers, exploring themes of love, individualism, and nature with emotional depth and lyrical beauty.

In addition to his literary pursuits, Byron also had a keen interest in politics and championed causes like Greek independence. He participated in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, ultimately losing his life to fever while supporting the cause in 1824, at the age of 36. Byron's poetry, characterized by his rebellious spirit and poignant exploration of human emotions, continues to captivate readers and inspire generations of poets.

Opinions are made to be changed --or how is truth to be got

Opinions are made to be changed --or how is truth to be got at?

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

There is something to me very softening in the presence of a

There is something to me very softening in the presence of a woman, some strange influence, even if one is not in love with them, which I cannot at all account for, having no very high opinion of the sex. But yet, I always feel in better humor with myself and every thing else, if there is a woman within ken.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

Are we aware of our obligations to a mob? It is the mob that

Are we aware of our obligations to a mob? It is the mob that labor in your fields and serve in your houses -- that man your navy, and recruit your army -- that have enabled you to defy the world, and can also defy you when neglect and calamity have driven them to despair. You may call the people a mob; but do not forget that a mob too often speaks the sentiments of the people.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

But as to women, who can penetrate the real sufferings of th

But as to women, who can penetrate the real sufferings of their she condition? Man's very sympathy with their estate has much of selfishness and more suspicion. Their love, their virtue, beauty, education, but form good housekeepers, to breed a nation.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

I have imbibed such a love for money that I keep some sequin

I have imbibed such a love for money that I keep some sequins in a drawer to count, and cry over them once a week.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

Yes! Ready money is Aladdin's lamp.

Yes! Ready money is Aladdin's lamp.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

A woman who gives any advantage to a man may expect a lover

A woman who gives any advantage to a man may expect a lover -- but will sooner or later find a tyrant.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

I think the worst woman that ever existed would have made a

I think the worst woman that ever existed would have made a man of very passable reputation -- they are all better than us and their faults such as they are must originate with ourselves.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

What a strange thing man is; and what a stranger thing woman

What a strange thing man is; and what a stranger thing woman.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

Ready money is Aladdin's lamp.

Ready money is Aladdin's lamp.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

I am as comfortless as a pilgrim with peas in his shoes -- a

I am as comfortless as a pilgrim with peas in his shoes -- and as cold as Charity, Chastity or any other Virtue.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

Man's love is of man's life a part; it is a woman's whole ex

Man's love is of man's life a part; it is a woman's whole existence. In her first passion, a woman loves her lover, in all the others all she loves is love.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

Though women are angels, yet wedlock's the devil.

Though women are angels, yet wedlock's the devil.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

It is singular how soon we lose the impression of what cease

It is singular how soon we lose the impression of what ceases to be constantly before us. A year impairs, a luster obliterates. There is little distinct left without an effort of memory, then indeed the lights are rekindled for a moment --but who can be sure that the Imagination is not the torch-bearer?

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

Lovers may be -- and indeed generally are -- enemies, but th

Lovers may be -- and indeed generally are -- enemies, but they never can be friends, because there must always be a spice of jealousy and a something of Self in all their speculations.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

The best way will be to avoid each other without appearing t

The best way will be to avoid each other without appearing to do so -- or if we jostle, at any rate not to bite.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

I know that two and two make four -- and should be glad to p

I know that two and two make four -- and should be glad to prove it too if I could -- though I must say if by any sort of process I could convert 2 and 2 into five it would give me much greater pleasure.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

Smiles form the channel of a future tear.

Smiles form the channel of a future tear.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

The French courage proceeds from vanity

The French courage proceeds from vanity

Lord (George Gordon) Byron

What makes a regiment of soldiers a more noble object of vie

What makes a regiment of soldiers a more noble object of view than the same mass of mob? Their arms, their dresses, their banners, and the art and artificial symmetry of their position and movements.

Lord (George Gordon) Byron