William Gilmore Simms (1806–70) was a poet, novelist and historian from the American South. His writings achieved great prominence during the 19th century, with Edgar Allan Poe pronouncing him the best novelist America had ever produced. He is still known among literary scholars as a major force in antebellum Southern literature. He is also remembered for his strong support of slavery and for his opposition to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in response to which he wrote reviews and a pro-slavery novel.
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Most men remember obligations, but not often to be grateful; the proud are made sour by the remembrance and the vain silent.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Obligation
It is said that he or she who admits the possession of a secret, has already half revealed it.—It is a great deal gained toward the acquisition of a treasure, to know exactly where it is.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Secrecy
Vanity may be likened to the smooth-skinned and velvet-footed mouse, nibbling about forever in expectation of a crumb; while self-esteem is too apt to take the likeness of the huge butcher’s dog, who carries off your steaks, and growls at you as he goes.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Vanity
Tact is one of the first mental virtues, the absence of which is often fatal to the best of talents; it supplies the place of many talents.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Tact
No doubt solitude is wholesome, but so is abstinence after a surfeit.—The true life of man is in society.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Solitude
The only rational liberty is that which is born of subjection, reared in the fear of God and love of man, and roads courageous in the defense of a trust, and the prosecution of a duty.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Liberty
What we call vice in our neighbor may be nothing less than a crude virtue. To him who knows nothing more of precious stones than he can learn from a daily contemplation of his breastpin, a diamond in the mine must be a very uncompromising sort of stone.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Vice
Neither praise or blame is the object of true criticism. Justly to discriminate, firmly to establish, wisely to prescribe, and honestly to award. These are the true aims and duties of criticism.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Critics, Criticism
Stagnation is something worse than death: it is corruption also.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Procrastination, Idleness, Inaction, Getting Going
Revelation may not need the help of reason, but man does, even when in possession of revelation. Reason is the candle in the man’s hand which enables him to see what revelation is.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Reason
The true law of the race is progress and development. Whenever civilization pauses in the march of conquest, it is overthrown by the barbarian.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Progress
Love is but another name for that inscrutable presence by which the soul is connected with humanity.
—William Gilmore Simms
There is no doubt such a thing as chance; but I see no reason why Providence should not make use of it.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Chance
To feel oppressed by obligation is only to prove that we are incapable of a proper sentiment of gratitude.—To receive favors from the unworthy is to admit that our selfishness is superior to our pride.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Obligation
To make punishments efficacious, two things are necessary; they must never be disproportioned to the offence, and they must be certain.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Punishment
No errors of opinion can possibly be dangerous in a country where opinion is left free to grapple with them.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Opinion, Opinions
Tears are the natural penalties of pleasure. It is a law that we should pay for all that we enjoy.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Crying, Tears
Strong passions are the life of manly virtues. But they need not necessarily be evil because they are passions, and because they are strong. They may be likened to blood horses, that need training and the curb only, to enable those whom they carry to achieve the most glorious triumphs.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Passion
The conditions of conquest are always easy. We have but to toil awhile, endure awhile, believe always, and never turn back.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Secrets of Success, Perseverance, Success
He who would acquire fame must not show himself afraid of censure. The dread of censure is the death of genius.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Censorship, Fame
Genius may be described as the spirit of discovery.—It is the eye of intellect, and the wing of thought.—It is always in advance of its time—the pioneer for the generation which it precedes.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Genius
Our cares are the mothers not only of our charities and virtues, but of our best joys, and most cheering and enduring pleasures.
—William Gilmore Simms
To be amiable is most certainly a duty, but it is not to be exercised at the expense of any virtue.—He who seeks to do the amiable always, can at times be successful only by the sacrifice of his manhood.
—William Gilmore Simms
The proverb answers where the sermon fails, as a well-charged pistol will do more execution than a whole barrel of gunpowder idly exploded in the air.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Quotations
The guilt that feels not its own shame is wholly incurable.—It was the redeeming promise in the fault of Adam, that with the commission of his crime came the sense of his nakedness.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Guilt
Justice is the great and simple principle which is the secret of success in all government, as essential to the training of an infant, as to the control of a mighty nation.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Justice
A people never fairly begins to prosper till necessity is treading on its heels. The growing want of room is one of the sources of civilization. Population is power, but it must be a population that, in growing, is made daily apprehensive of the morrow.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Necessity
The dread of criticism is the death of genius.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Critics, Criticism
Have I done anything for society? I have then done more for myself. Let that truth be always present to thy mind, and work without cessation.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Mind, Truth, Usefullness
This is the one quality, over all others, necessary to make a gentleman.
—William Gilmore Simms
Topics: Politeness
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