Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) was an eminent—and controversial—Scottish historian, political philosopher, and essayist from the Victorian era.
Known for his incisive critique of British society, Carlyle was one of the most significant thinkers of the nineteenth century. However, since the early 1900s, his work has been criticized for his belief that powerful, heroic individuals can transform the course of humanity and for his adoration of the Germanic spirit—both of which invigorated Nazi ideologues.
Carlyle studied and translated German literature in his early years. Some of his earliest writings describe a polarity between the “sacrificial seriousness” of the German culture and the “superficial, pleasure-seeking” British culture. In Signs of the Times (1829,) he described the chasm between the material advancements of the machine age and the soulless mediocrity of “modern man.”
Carlyle’s first truly successful book was The French Revolution (3 vols., 1837.) Considered a reliable account of the early course of the Revolution, it was used for reference by Charles Dickens while writing his A Tale of Two Cities (1859.)
At the core of Carlyle’s political philosophy was his attribution of all historical progress solely to mighty heroes who served as role models for how people should live. He wrote, “No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” He expounded these beliefs in The French Revolution, On Heroes and Hero Worship (1841,) and History of Frederick the Great (6 vols., 1858–65.) These books profoundly influenced German and Italian fascism and painted Carlyle as a progenitor of the concept of totalitarian regimes.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Thomas Carlyle
All men, if they work not as in the great taskmaster’s eye, will work wrong, and work unhappily for themselves and for you.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Responsibility, Work
The beaten paths of literature lead safeliest to the goal, and the talent pleases us most which submits to shine with new gracefulness through old forms.—Nor is the noblest and most peculiar mind too noble or peculiar for working by prescribed laws.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Literature
Anarchy is the choking, sweltering, deadly, and killing rule of no rule; the consecration of cupidity and braying of folly and dim stupidity and baseness, in most of the affairs of men. Slop-shirts attainable three half-pence cheaper by the ruin of living bodies and immortal souls.
—Thomas Carlyle
If those gentlemen would let me alone I should be much obliged to them. I would say, as Shakespeare would say… “Sweet Friend, for Jesus sake forbear.”
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Biography, Legacy
If you are ever in doubt as to whether to kiss a pretty girl, always give her the benefit of the doubt.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Kiss, Women
Affectation is the product of falsehood
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Affectation
The hell of these days is the fear of not getting along, especially of not making money.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Hell
The best effect of any book, is that it excites the reader to self-activity.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Reading, Books, Literature
Men do less than they ought, unless they do all that they can.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Duty, Doing
Our works are the mirror wherein the spirit first sees its natural lineaments, Hence, too, the folly of that impossible precept, Know thyself; till it be translated into this partially possible one, know what thou canst work at.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Work
For man is not the creature and product of Mechanism; but, in a far truer sense, its creator and producer.
—Thomas Carlyle
The idea is in thyself. The impediment, too, is in thyself.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Ideas
The greatest event for the world is the arrival of a new and wise person.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Events, Wisdom
But the whim we have of happiness is somewhat thus. By certain valuations, and averages, of our own striking, we come upon some sort of average terrestrial lot; this we fancy belongs to us by nature, and of indefeasible rights. It is simple payment of our wages, of our deserts; requires neither thanks nor complaint. Foolish soul! What act of legislature was there that thou shouldst be happy? A little while ago thou hadst no right to be at all.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Happiness
Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better, silence is deep as eternity; speech is shallow as time.
—Thomas Carlyle
Isolation is the sum total of wretchedness to a man.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Loneliness, Isolation
The block of granite, which is an obstacle on the path of the weak, becomes a stepping-stone on the path of the strong.
—Thomas Carlyle
The fraction of life can be increased in value not so much by increasing your numerator as by lessening your denominator. Nay, unless my algebra deceives me, unity itself divided by zero will give infinity.
—Thomas Carlyle
No person was every rightly understood until they had been first regarded with a certain feeling, not of tolerance, but of sympathy.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Understanding
Every new opinion, at its starting, is precisely in a minority of one.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Opinion, Opinions
Biography is the most universally pleasant and profitable of all reading.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Books, Biography
Show me the person you honor, for I know better by that the kind of person you are. For you show me what your idea of humanity is.
—Thomas Carlyle
The aristocracy of feudal parchment has passed away with a mighty rushing, and now, by a natural course, we arrive at aristocracy of the money-bag.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Class
Heroes have gone out, quacks have come in; the reign of quacks has not ended with the nine teenth century. The sceptre is held with a firmer grasp; the empire has a wider boundary. We are all the slaves of quackery in one shape or another. One portion of our being is always playing the successful quack to the other.
—Thomas Carlyle
Experience is the best of schoolmasters, only the school fees are heavy.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Experience
Variety is the condition of harmony.
—Thomas Carlyle
A dandy is a clothes-wearing man,—a man whose trade, office, and existence consist in the wearing of clothes.—Every faculty of his soul, spirit, person, and purse is heroically consecrated to this one object—the wearing of clothes wisely and well; so that as others dress to live, he lives to dress.
—Thomas Carlyle
The courage we desire and prize is not the courage to die decently, but to live manfully.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Bravery, Courage
No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: History, Greatness & Great Things, Greatness
If Jesus Christ were to come today people would not even crucify him. They would ask him to dinner, and hear what he has to say, and make fun of it.
—Thomas Carlyle
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Hugh Blair Scottish Minister, Scholar
Walter Scott Scottish Novelist
James Mill Scottish Philosopher
Hugh Miller Scottish Geologist, Writer
Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey Scottish Judge, Critic
Adam Smith Scottish Philosopher
Thomas Reid Scottish Philosopher
David Hume Scottish Philosopher, Historian
J. M. Barrie Scottish Novelist
Robert Louis Stevenson Scottish Novelist