Thomas De Quincey Quotes

A collection of quotes by Thomas De Quincey.

Thomas De Quincey (1785-1859) was an English essayist and writer, best known for his autobiographical work, "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater." Born in Manchester, De Quincey studied at Oxford but left without a degree. His writing career began with a series of anonymous essays published in Blackwood's Magazine. De Quincey's work focused on a range of topics including literature, philosophy, and his own personal experiences. His unique prose style and introspective nature have established him as a significant figure in the Romantic movement, influencing subsequent generations of writers.

Solitude, though it may be silent as light, is like light, t

Solitude, though it may be silent as light, is like light, the mightiest of agencies for solitude is essential to man. All men come into this world alone and leave it alone.

Thomas De Quincey

Solitude, though it may be silent as light, is like light, t

Solitude, though it may be silent as light, is like light, the mightiest of agencies; for solitude is essential to man. All men come into this world alone and leave it alone.

Thomas De Quincey

If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes

If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination.

Thomas De Quincey

Cows are amongst the gentlest of breathing creatures; none s

Cows are amongst the gentlest of breathing creatures; none show more passionate tenderness to their young when deprived of them; and, in short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these quiet creatures.

Thomas De Quincey

Tea, though ridiculed by those who are naturally coarse in t

Tea, though ridiculed by those who are naturally coarse in their nervous sensibilities will always be the favorite beverage of the intellectual.

Thomas De Quincey

Coffee (or Tea)

Call for the grandest of all earthly spectacles, what is tha

Call for the grandest of all earthly spectacles, what is that? It is the sun going to his rest.

Thomas De Quincey

In many walks of life, a conscience is a more expensive encu

In many walks of life, a conscience is a more expensive encumbrance than a wife or a carriage.

Thomas De Quincey

Thou hast the keys of Paradise, oh just, subtle, and mighty

Thou hast the keys of Paradise, oh just, subtle, and mighty opium!

Thomas De Quincey

Flowers that are so pathetic in their beauty, frail as the c

Flowers that are so pathetic in their beauty, frail as the clouds, and in their coloring as gorgeous as the heavens, had through thousands of years been the heritage of children -- honored as the jewelry of God only by them -- when suddenly the voice of Christianity, counter-signing the voice of infancy, raised them to a grandeur transcending the Hebrew throne, although founded by God himself, and pronounced Solomon in all his glory not to be arrayed like one of these.

Thomas De Quincey