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Walter Scott Quotes
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Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet, FRSE was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright and poet. Many of his works remain classics of both English-language literature and of Scottish literature. Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Old Mortality, The Lady of the Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor.

Although primarily remembered for his extensive literary works and his political engagement, Scott was an advocate, judge and legal administrator by profession, and throughout his career combined his writing and editing work with his daily occupation as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire.

A prominent member of the Tory establishment in Edinburgh, Scott was an active member of the Highland Society and served a long term as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .

✵ 15. August 1771 – 21. September 1832
Walter Scott photo
Walter Scott: 151   quotes 10   likes

Walter Scott Quotes

“Just at the age 'twixt boy and youth,
When thought is speech, and speech is truth.”

Walter Scott Marmion

Canto II, introduction.
Marmion (1808)

Truth , Youth , Age , Boy

“For ne'er
Was flattery lost on poet's ear:
A simple race! they waste their toil
For the vain tribute of a smile.”

Walter Scott The Lay of the Last Minstrel

Canto IV, conclusion
The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805)

Smile

“What can they see in the longest kingly line in Europe, save that it runs back to a successful soldier?”

Walter Scott book Woodstock

Woodstock, Chap. xxxvii.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Success

“The wind breath'd soft as lover's sigh,
And, oft renew'd, seem'd oft to die,
With breathless pause between,
O who, with speech of war and woes,
Would wish to break the soft repose
Of such enchanting scene!”

Walter Scott The Lord of the Isles

Canto IV, stanza 13.
The Lord of the Isles (1815)

War , Lovers

“Like the dew on the mountain,
Like the foam on the river,
Like the bubble on the fountain,
Thou art gone, and forever!”

Walter Scott

Canto III, stanza 16 (Coronach, stanza 3).
The Lady of the Lake http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3011 (1810)

Art , Mountain

“Come one, come all! this rock shall fly
From its firm base as soon as I.”

Walter Scott

Canto V, stanza 10.
The Lady of the Lake http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3011 (1810)

Flying

“With head upraised, and look intent,
And eye and ear attentive bent,
And locks flung back, and lips apart,
Like monument of Grecian art,
In listening mood, she seemed to stand,
The guardian Naiad of the strand.”

Walter Scott

Canto I, stanza 17.
The Lady of the Lake http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3011 (1810)

Art , Mood

“Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd,
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd,
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonor'd, and unsung.”

Walter Scott The Lay of the Last Minstrel

Canto VI, stanza 1.
The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805)

Home , Soul , Heart , Dead

“O Caledonia! stern and wild,
Meet nurse for a poetic child!
Land of brown heath and shaggy wood,
Land of the mountain and the flood!”

Walter Scott The Lay of the Last Minstrel

Canto VI, stanza 2.
The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805)

Mountain

“That day of wrath, that dreadful day,
When heaven and earth shall pass away,
What power shall be the sinner's stay?
How shall he meet that dreadful day?”

Walter Scott The Lay of the Last Minstrel

Canto VI, stanza 31.
The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805)

“Women are but the toys which amuse our lighter hours-ambition is the serious business of life.”

Walter Scott book Ivanhoe

Source: Ivanhoe (1819), Ch. 36, Malvoisin speaking to De Bois-Guilbert.

Life , Women , Business

“My foot is on my native heath, and my name is MacGregor.”

Walter Scott book Rob Roy

Source: Rob Roy (1817), Chapter 34.

“Scared out of his seven senses.”

Walter Scott book Rob Roy

Source: Rob Roy (1817), Chapter 34.

Sense

“Lightly from fair to fair he flew,
And loved to plead, lament, and sue;
Suit lightly won, and short-lived pain,
For monarchs seldom sigh in vain.”

Walter Scott Marmion

Canto V, stanza 9.
Marmion (1808)

Love , Pain

“A miss is as good as a mile.”

Walter Scott

Journal (December 3, 1825).

“The eye of the yeoman and peasant sought in vain the tall form of old Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley, as, wrapped in his laced cloak, and with beard and whiskers duly composed, he moved slowly through the aisles, followed be the faithful mastiff, or bloodhound, which in old time had saved his master by his fidelity, and which regularly followed him to church. Bevis indeed, fell under the proverb which avers, ‘He is a good dog, which goes to church’; for, bating an occasional temptation to warble along with the accord, he behaved himself as decorously as any of the congregation, and returned much edified, perhaps, as most of them.”

Walter Scott book Woodstock

Woodstock (1826), Ch.1.

Faith , Dogs , Time

“Call it not vain;—they do not err,
Who say, that when the Poet dies,
Mute Nature mourns her worshipper,
And celebrates his obsequies.”

Walter Scott The Lay of the Last Minstrel

Canto V, stanza 1.
The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805)

Nature

“It is a strong castle, and strongly guarded; but there is no impossibility to brave men.”

Walter Scott book Quentin Durward

Quentin Durward (1823), Ch. 3.

Men , Strong

“Woman's faith and woman's trust,
Write the characters in dust.”

Walter Scott book The Betrothed

The Betrothed, Chap. xx.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Faith

“Come fill up my cup, come fill up my can,
Come saddle your horses, and call up your men;
Come open the West Port, and let me gang free,
And it's room for the bonnets of Bonny Dundee!”

Walter Scott

The Doom of Devorgoil, Bonny Dundee (1830), Chorus.

Men , Horse

“Thou and I are but the blind instruments of some irresistible fatality, that hurries us along, like goodly vessels driving before the storm, which are dashed against each other, and so perish.”

Walter Scott book Ivanhoe

Source: Ivanhoe (1819), Ch. 39, De Bois-Guilbert speaking to Rebecca.

“England was merry England, when
Old Christmas brought his sports again.
‘Twas Christmas broach’d the mightiest ale;
‘Twas Christmas told the merriest tale;
A Christmas gambol oft could cheer
The poor man’s heart through half the year.”

Walter Scott Marmion

Canto VI, introduction, st. 3.
Marmion (1808)

Sport , Heart , Christmas

“When Prussia hurried to the field,
And snatch'd the spear, but left the shield.”

Walter Scott Marmion

Canto III, introduction.
Marmion (1808)

“Oh, poverty parts good company.”

Walter Scott book The Abbot

The Abbot (1820), Ch. 7.

Parting

“Where's the coward that would not dare
To fight for such a land?”

Walter Scott Marmion

Canto IV, stanza 30.
Marmion (1808)

Fight

“Fat, fair, and forty.”

Walter Scott

St. Ronan's Well (1824), Ch. 7.

“As old as the hills.”

Walter Scott book The Monastery

Source: The Monastery (1820), Ch. 9.

“Widowed wife and wedded maid.”

Walter Scott book The Betrothed

The Betrothed, Chap. xv.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Wedding

“Too much rest is rust.”

Walter Scott book The Betrothed

The The Betrothed (1825), Volume I, Chapter XIII http://books.google.com/books?id=3w8OAAAAQAAJ&q=%22Too+much+rest+is+rust%22&pg=PA226#v=onepage

“Sea of upturned faces.”

Walter Scott book Rob Roy

Source: Rob Roy (1817), Chapter 20.

Sea