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
No iron chain, or outward force of any kind, could ever compel the soul of man to believe or disbelieve.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Belief, Soul
By nature man hates change; seldom will he quit his old home till it has actually fallen around his ears.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Miscellaneous, Change
The eternal stars shine out as soon as it is dark enough.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Difficulties, Difficulty
Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the Infinite.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Music, Angels
We call it a Society; and go about professing openly the totalest separation, isolation. Our life is not a mutual helpfulness; but rather, cloaked under due laws-of-war, named “fair competition” and so forth, it is a mutual hostility.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Society
A wise man was he who counselled that speculation should have free course, and look fearlessly toward all the thirty-two points of the compass, whithersoever and howsoever it listed.
—Thomas Carlyle
There is a calm, viscous insensibility which will baffle even the gods, and calmly say, Try all your lightnings here, and see whether I cannot quench them.
—Thomas Carlyle
Biography is the only true history.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: History
All work is as seed sown; it grows and spreads, and sows itself anew.
—Thomas Carlyle
It is meritorious to insist on forms; religions and all else naturally clothes itself in forms. Everywhere the formed world is our only habitable one.
—Thomas Carlyle
The devil has his elect.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Evil
If there be no enemy there’s no fight. If no fight, no victory and if no victory there is no crown.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Fighting, Enemy, Enemies
The man of Humor sees common life, even mean life, under the new light of sportfulness and love; whatever has existence has a charm for him. Humor has justly been regarded as the finest perfection of poetic genius.
—Thomas Carlyle
The man who cannot laugh is not only fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils, but his whole life is already a treason and a stratagem.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Laughter, Fear
For love is ever the beginning of Knowledge, as fire is of light.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Beginning, Knowledge
He who has battled with poverty and hard toil will be found stronger and more expert than he who could stay at home from the battle, concealed among the provision wagons, or unwatchfulty abiding by the stuff.
—Thomas Carlyle
One must verify or expel his doubts, and convert them into the certainty of Yes or No.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Certainty
How much lies in laughter: the cipher key, wherewith we decipher the whole man!
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Laughter
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
Only perhaps in the United States, which alone of countries can do without governing, every man being at least able to live, and move off into the wilderness, let Congress jargon as it will, can such a form of so-called Government continue for any length of time to torment men with the semblance, when the indispensable substance is not there.
—Thomas Carlyle
Foolish men imagine that because judgment for an evil thing is delayed, there is no justice; but only accident here below. Judgment for an evil thing is many times delayed some day or two, some century or two, but it is sure as life, it is sure as death.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Judgment, Judging, Judges
If time is precious, no book that will not improve by repeated reading deserves to be read at all.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Time
Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, altogether past calculation its powers of endurance. Efforts, to be permanently useful, must be uniformly joyous,—a spirit all sunshine, graceful from very gladness, beautiful because bright.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Cheerfulness
Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacle s, discouragement s, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Persistence, Virtues, Perseverance
I grow daily to honor facts more and more, and theory less and less. A fact, it seems to me, is a great thing—a sentence printed, if not by God, then at least by the Devil.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Facts
Know what thou canst work at, and work at it like a Hercules.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Effort
Not what I have, but what I do is my kingdom.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Consumerism
Over the times thou hast no power.—To redeem a world sunk in dishonesty has not been given thee. Solely over one man therein thou hast a quite absolute, uncontrollable power.—Him redeem and make honest.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Self-Control
The greatest event for the world is the arrival of a new and wise person.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Events, Wisdom
All sorts of Heroes are intrinsically of the same material; that given a great soul, open to the Divine Significance of Life, then there is given a man fit to speak of this, to sing of this, to fight and work for this, in a great, victorious, enduring manner; there is given a Hero,—the outward shape of whom will depend on the time and the environment he finds himself in.
—Thomas Carlyle
Topics: Heroes/Heroism
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