“I never heard tell of any clever man that came out of entirely stupid people. If you look around the families of your acquaintance, you will see such cases in all directions. I know that it has been the case in mine.”

— Thomas Carlyle

1860s, On The Choice Of Books (1866)
Context: I began gradually to perceive this immense fact, which I really advise every one of you who read history to look out for and read for—if he has not found it—it was that the kings of England all the way from the Norman Conquest down to the times of Charles I. had appointed, so far as they knew, those who deserved to be appointed, peers. They were all Royal men, with minds full of justice and valour and humanity, and all kinds of qualities that are good for men to have who ought to rule over others. Then their genealogy was remarkable—and there is a great deal more in genealogies than is generally believed at present. I never heard tell of any clever man that came out of entirely stupid people. If you look around the families of your acquaintance, you will see such cases in all directions. I know that it has been the case in mine. I can trace the father, and the son, and the grandson, and the family stamp is quite distinctly legible upon each of them, so that it goes for a great deal—the hereditary principle in Government as in other things; and it must be recognised so soon as there is any fixity in things.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "I never heard tell of any clever man that came out of entirely stupid people. If you look around the families of your a…" by Thomas Carlyle?

Thomas Carlyle 481

Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian… 1795–1881

Related quotes

“So you can see here in this case of mine where God helped me out. I had been living for God and working in the church some time before I come to the army. So I am a witness to the fact that God did help me out of that hard battle; for the bushes were shot up all around me and I never got a scratch.”

Alvin C. York (1887–1964) United States Army Medal of Honor recipient

Account of 8 October 1918.
Diary of Alvin York

“My lord, I have heard that your father was a military man. Was that the case?”

Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) 18th President of the United States

To Arthur Richard Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington, son of Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as quoted in Handy-book of Literary Curiosities (1892) by William Shepard Walsh, p. 511.

“I do not know how to write or speak but only to paint and draw. Look at what I have done. Whether I have succeeded in explaining myself or not, in any case, if you do not understand my work, through your fault or mine, I can do no more.”

Albert Marquet (1875–1947) French artist

Marcelle Marquet, Marquet Fernand Hazan Editions, Paris 1955, p. 6; as quoted in 'Appendix – Marquet Speaks on his Art', in "Albert Marquet and the Fauve movement, 1898-1908", Norris Judd, published 1976, - translation Norris Judd - Thesis (A.B.)--Sweet Briar College, p. 116

“Nanny Ogg looked under her bed in case there was a man there. Well, you never knew your luck.”

Terry Pratchett book Lords and Ladies

Source: Lords and Ladies

“But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily that I felt we'd all been duped by Plato and the idea of a soul mate. Just in case it turned out that she was mine.”

David Levithan (1972) American author and editor

Source: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

“Doctors! You know yourself, without the help of any doctors that your case has no foundation! I care not a straw for your Doctors! For every Doctor and Lawyer that upholds your case I could find a thousand that would find our marriage good and valid!”

Catherine of Aragon (1485–1536) first wife of Henry VIII of England (1485–1536)

Alison Weir (1991). The Six Wives of Henry VIII. ISBN 0802136834, p. 213.

“You have always been smart. You have always looked for the worst in people, and have been quick to notice when people are up to no good… But in the case of your children, you are blind.”

Federico García Lorca (1898–1936) Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director

Siempre has sido lista. Has visto lo malo de las gentes a cien leguas... Pero los hijos son los hijos. Ahora estás ciega.
Act II (ll. 833–835)
The House of Bernarda Alba (1936)

“All you have to do, I tell myself, is keep your mouth shut and look stupid. It shouldn't be that hard.”

Margaret Atwood book The Handmaid's Tale

Source: The Handmaid's Tale

“It is a parable of pure capitalism, never jam today and a case of jam tomorrow; but as any of the Smiths will tell you, anyone who has ever sold IBM has regretted it.”

George Goodman (1930–2014) American author and economics commentator

Source: The Money Game (1968), Chapter 6, What Are They In It For?, p. 68

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding. Find out what you already know and you will see the way to fly.”

Richard Bach book Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Source: Jonathan Livingston Seagull

“I never heard tell of any clever man that came out of entirely stupid people. If you look around the families of your acquaintance, you will see such cases in all directions. I know that it has been the case in mine.”

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Thomas Carlyle 481

Related quotes

Related topics