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William Godwin Quotes
William Godwin Quotes
William Godwin
English
Writer
Born:
Mar 3
,
1756
Died:
Apr 7
,
1836
Great
Life
Love
Man
Men
Nature
Related authors:
Arthur C. Clarke
D. H. Lawrence
Douglas Adams
Gilbert K. Chesterton
John Ruskin
Ricky Gervais
Rudyard Kipling
Thomas Paine
Government was intended to suppress injustice, but its effect has been to embody and perpetuate it.
William Godwin
Government
Injustice
Has-Been
Embody
Suppress
Been
Perpetuate
Effect
Intended
Law is made for man and not man for the law. Wherever we can be sure that the most valuable interests of a nation require that we should decide one way, that way we ought to decide.
William Godwin
Man
Law
Valuable
Made
Nation
Ought
Way
One-Way
Most
Sure
Decide
Wherever
Interests
Require
Should
Love conquers all difficulties, surmounts all obstacles, and effects what to any other power would be impossible.
William Godwin
Love
Impossible
Power
Difficulties
Other
Would
Would-Be
Obstacles
Effects
Any
Conquers
Woe to the man who is always busy - hurried in a turmoil of engagements, from occupation to occupation, and with no seasons interposed of recollection, contemplation and repose! Such a man must inevitably be gross and vulgar, and hard and indelicate - the sort of man with whom no generous spirit would desire to hold intercourse.
William Godwin
Man
Busy
Recollection
Must
Would
Spirit
Generous
Contemplation
Sort
Vulgar
Occupation
Always
Inevitably
Woe
Repose
Hold
Intercourse
Turmoil
Engagements
Gross
Hard
Who
Whom
Seasons
Desire
It is probable that there is no one thing that it is of eminent importance for a child to learn.
William Godwin
One Thing
Eminent
No-One
Importance
Learn
Child
Probable
Thing
Revolution is engendered by an indignation with tyranny, yet is itself pregnant with tyranny.
William Godwin
Tyranny
Revolution
Indignation
Itself
Pregnant
I am an enemy to revolutions. I abhor, both from temper and from the clearest judgment I am able to form, all violent convulsions in the affairs of men.
William Godwin
Enemy
Men
Judgment
Temper
Abhor
Able
Both
Clearest
Am
Affairs
Revolutions
Form
Violent
The love of independence and dislike of unjust treatment is the source of a thousand virtues.
William Godwin
Love
Independence
Unjust
Virtues
Thousand
Source
Dislike
Treatment
In the two novels I have published, it was my fortune at different times, and from different persons, to hear the most unqualified censure long before it was possible for me to hear the voice of the public. But my temper was not altered, nor my courage subdued.
William Godwin
Me
Courage
Long
Before
Possible
Temper
Unqualified
Voice
Most
Altered
Hear
Nor
Subdued
Times
Different
Censure
Public
Persons
Fortune
Different Times
Novels
Published
Two
I am most peremptorily of opinion against putting children extremely forward. If they desire it themselves, I would not balk them, for I love to attend to these unsophisticated indications. But otherwise, 'festina lente' is my maxim in education.
William Godwin
Love
Education
Otherwise
Extremely
Would
Attend
Putting
Most
Balk
Opinion
Am
Maxim
Children
Against
Them
Themselves
Forward
Desire
Without imagination, there can be no genuine ardor in any pursuit or for any acquisition, and without imagination, there can be no genuine morality, no profound feeling of other men's sorrow, no ardent and persevering anxiety for their interests.
William Godwin
Anxiety
Men
Feeling
Imagination
Other
Morality
Ardent
Ardor
Pursuit
Sorrow
Without
Genuine
Persevering
Any
Acquisition
Interests
Profound
My temper is of a recluse and contemplative cast; had it been otherwise, I should, perhaps, on some former occasions, have entered into the active concerns of the world and not have been connected with it merely as a writer of books.
William Godwin
World
Active
Otherwise
Books
Recluse
Entered
Temper
Some
Cast
Writer
Had
Merely
Contemplative
Perhaps
Concerns
Occasions
Been
Former
Should
Connected
During my academical life, and from this time forward, I was indefatigable in my search after truth. I read all the authors of greatest repute, for and against the Trinity, original sin, and the most disputed doctrines, but I was not yet of an understanding sufficiently ripe for impartial decision, and all my inquiries terminated in Calvinism.
William Godwin
Life
Truth
Time
Decision
Understanding
Trinity
Ripe
Impartial
Sin
Terminated
Most
Doctrines
Read
Greatest
Authors
After
Against
Repute
Forward
Original
Search
Original Sin
Disputed
Sufficiently
The four principal oral instructors to whom I feel my mind indebted for improvement were Joseph Fawcet, Thomas Holcroft, George Dyson, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
William Godwin
Mind
Thomas
Indebted
Joseph
Feel
Instructor
Principal
George
Were
Improvement
Oral
Samuel
Taylor
Whom
Four
Till 1782, I believed in the doctrine of Calvin: that is, that the majority of mankind were objects of divine condemnation and that their punishment would be everlasting. The 'Systeme de la Nature,' read about the beginning of that year, changed my opinion and made me a Deist.
William Godwin
Nature
Me
Made
Year
Beginning
Changed
Punishment
Would
Would-Be
About
Objects
Divine
Doctrine
Majority
Read
Opinion
Till
Condemnation
Were
La
Mankind
Believed
Everlasting
With respect to my religious sentiments, I have the firmest assurance and tranquillity. I have faithfully endeavoured to improve the faculties and opportunities God has given me, and I am perfectly easy about the consequences.
William Godwin
God
Me
Respect
Opportunities
Consequences
Assurance
Easy
Religious
About
Given
Faculties
Perfectly
Faithfully
Am
Improve
Tranquillity
Sentiments
Harshness and unkindness are relative. The appearance of them may be the fruits of the greatest kindness.
William Godwin
Kindness
Unkindness
Relative
Harshness
Greatest
May
Fruits
Them
Appearance
In the summer of 1791, I gave up my concern in the 'New Annual Register,' the historical part of which I had written for seven years, and abdicated, I hope forever, the task of performing a literary labour, the nature of which should be dictated by anything but the promptings of my own mind.
William Godwin
Hope
Nature
Mind
Own
Gave
Seven
Summer
My Own
Had
Part
Written
New
Performing
Annual
Concern
Years
Historical
Up
Dictated
Forever
Labour
Task
Literary
Anything
Which
Register
Should
We have, all of us, our duties. Every action of our lives, and every word that we utter, will either conduce to or detract from the discharge of our duty.
William Godwin
Word
Will
Duty
Action
Every
Our
Our Lives
Discharge
Duties
Either
Us
Lives
Utter
We cannot, any of us, do all the things of which mankind stand in need; we must have fellow-labourers.
William Godwin
We Cannot
Must
Any
Cannot
Which
Mankind
Us
Stand
Things
Need
Duty is that mode of action which constitutes the best application of the capacity of the individual to the general advantage.
William Godwin
Best
Duty
Action
General
Individual
Advantage
Mode
Which
Capacity
Application
Soundness of understanding is connected with freedom of enquiry; consequently, opinion should, as far as public security will admit, be exempted from restraint.
William Godwin
Freedom
Will
Understanding
Security
Admit
Restraint
Opinion
As Far As
Public
Far
Should
Connected
Consequently
The world is all alike. Those that seem better than their neighbours are only more artful. They mean the same thing, though they take a different road.
William Godwin
World
Better
Same Thing
Alike
Those
Though
Neighbours
Seem
More
Only
Take
Road
Artful
Than
Same
Different
Mean
Thing
Invisible things are the only realities; invisible things alone are the things that shall remain.
William Godwin
Alone
Only
Shall
Remain
Invisible
Realities
Things
In infamy, it is wisely provided that he who stands highest in the ranks of society has the heaviest load to sustain.
William Godwin
Society
Ranks
Highest
He
Wisely
Provided
Infamy
Heaviest
Sustain
Who
Stands
Load
What is high birth to him to whom high birth has never been the theme of his contemplation? What is a throne to him who has never dreamed of a throne?
William Godwin
Birth
High
Dreamed
Throne
Never
Contemplation
Him
Been
His
Theme
Who
Whom
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