Here are Edward Bulwer-Lytton quotes taken from his writings.
“It was a dark and stormy night“. That well-known phrase was coined by English politician, poet, playwright and a successful novelist Edward George Bulwer-Lytton.
He wrote in various genres, which include, historical fiction, mystery, romance, the occult, and science fiction.
Among Edward Bulwer-Lytton many novels are: “The Last Days of Pompeii”, “The Last Days of the Barons”, and “Pelham: or The Adventures of a Gentleman”.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton Quotes
Now, let’s take a closer look at my specially selected fully verified Edward George Bulwer-Lytton quotations:
“Thought is valuable in proportion as it is generative.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners by Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1864, XIV On Essay Writing In General, And These Essays In Particular, P. 153) source
(The quote is also found .)
“Three things are ever silent:Thought, Destiny, and the Grave. ” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Harold: The Last Of The Saxon King By The Right Hon.Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1874, Book X, The Sacrifice On The Altar, Ch. 2, P. 338) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“Anger vented often hurries toward forgiveness; anger concealed often hardens into revenge.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners by Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1864, Essay XX On Self Control, P. 209) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“When a person’s down in the world, I think an ounce of help is better than a pound of preaching.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Night And Morning By Edward Bulwer Lytton, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1843, Book I, Ch. VI, P. 55) source
(The quote is also found in: The Wit And Wisdom Of E. Bulwer-Lytton Compiled By C. L. Bonney, New York: John B. Alden, 1885, Night And Morning, An Ounce Of Help, P. 116) source
“The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Kenelm Chillingly: His Adventures And Opinion By Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton, Vol. I, Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1896, Book III, Ch. XII, P. 274) source
(The quote is also found in: The Wit And Wisdom Of E. Bulwer-Lytton Compiled By C. L. Bonney, New York: John B. Alden, 1885, Kenelm Chillingly: His Adventures And Opinion, Book III, Ch. XII, The Best Teacher, P. 187) source
“…the easiest person to deceive is one’s own self.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Disowned By Lytton (Edward Bulwer Lytton), In One Volume, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1842, Ch. XLIV, P. 239) source
(The quote is also found in: The Disowned By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, London: Routledge, Warne & Routledge, 1864, Ch. XLIV, P. 155) source
(Another source of the quote is found here.)
“Common sense is only a modification of talent – genius is an exaltation of it: the difference is, therefore, in the degree, not nature.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Pelham, Or The Adventures Of A Gentleman By Edward Bulwer Barron Lytton, Vol. I, New York: J &J Harper, 1831, Ch. XXII , P. 77) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“He who desires to influence others must learn to command himself.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E Bulwer Lytton, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1864, Essay XX On Self Control , P. 209) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“Power is so characteristically calm, that calmness in itself has the aspect of power.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E Bulwer Lytton, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1864, Essay XVIII, Faith And Charity, Or The Union, In Practical Life, Of Sincerity And Conciliation, P. 194) source
(The quote is also found in: Miscellaneous Prose Works, Volume 3, Miscellaneous Prose Works By Edward Bulwer Lord Lytton, London: Richard Bentley, 1868, XVIII. Faith And Charity, Or The Union, In Practical Life, Of Sincerity and Conciliation, P. 213) source
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Richelieu, Or, The Conspiracy: A Play in Five Acts By Lord Lytton, London New York: George Routledge Sons, 1874, Act II, Sc. II, P. 37) source
(The quote is also found in: Richelieu, Or, The Conspiracy: A Play in Five Acts By Sir Edward Lytton, Boston: Walter H. Baker & Co, 1896, Act II, Sc. II, P. 29) source
(Another source of the quote is here.)
“The fewer blows, the better. Brave men fight if they must; wise men never fight if they can help it.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Pausanias, The Spartan, An Unfinished Historical Romance By The Late Lord Lytton, Edited by His Son, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1876, Book II, Ch. III, P. 169) source
(The quote is also found in: The Wit And Wisdom Of E. Bulwer-Lytton Compiled By C. L. Bonney, New York: John B. Alden, 1885, Pausanias, The Spartan, Book II, Ch. III, P. 243) source
“Real philosophy seeks rather to solve than to deny.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Zanoni By Edward Bulwer-Lytton, In Three Volumes, Vol. I, London: Sauders & Otley, 1842, Book The Second, Art, Love, And Wonder, Ch. VI, P. 169) source
(The quote is also found in: Zanoni By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, London: Saunders & Otley, 1845, Book The Second, Art, Love And Wonder, Ch. Vi, P. 87) source
“There is no tongue that flatters like a lover’s; and yet, in the exaggeration of his feelings, flattery seems to him commonplace.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Last Days Of Pompeii B Edward Bulwer Lytton, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1842, Book The Three, Ch. IX, A Storm In The South -The Witch’s Cavern, P. 215) source
(The quote is also found and here.)
“In science, read, by preference, the newest works ; in literature, the oldest. The classic literature is always modern.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, and Manners By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1864, Hints on Mental Culture, P. 110 ) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“Patience is the courage of the conqueror, it is the virtue, par excellence, of Man against Destiny.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(“My Novel” By Pisistratus Caxton, Or Varieties In English Life, Vol. I, London: Routledge, Warne & Routledge, 1863, Book VII, Initial Chapter, Mr. Caxton Upon Courage And Patience, P. 340) source
(The quote is also found in: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume LXX, July – December, 1851, William Blackwood & Sons, 1851, September 1851, My Novel: Or, Varieties In English Life – Part XIII, By Pisistratus Caxton, Book VII, Initial Ch., P. 276) source
(Another source of the quote is found here.)
“For man must be disappointed with the lesser things of life before he can comprehend the full value of the greatest.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Zanoni By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge & Sons, 1883, Ch. II, P. 50) source
(The quote is also found in: A Strange Story By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, New York: R. Worthington, 1884, Book The Second, Art, Love, And Wonder, Ch.II; PP. 75-76) source
“Never tell me of the pang of falsehood to the slandered: Nothing is so agonizing to the fine skin of vanity as the application of a rough truth.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Devereux: A Tale, Volume 1 By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Company, 1860, Book First, Ch. III, P. 30) source
(The quote is also found here and here.)
“Self-confidence is not hope; it is the self-judgment of your own internal forces in their relation to the world without, which results from the failure of many hopes and the non-realization of many fears.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, and Manners by Sir E Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1864, Essay XV, The Sanguine Temperament, P. 160) source
(The quote is also found in: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume XCII, July-December 1862, William Blackwood & Sons, 1862, Oct. 1862, Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, and Manners, No. XIV – The Sanguine Temperament, P. 412) source
“…fate laughs at probabilities.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Eugene Aram: A Tale by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1842, Book I, Ch. X, The Lovers — The Encounter And Quarrel Of The Rivals, P. 83) source
(The quote is also found in: Eugene Aram A Tale By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart, Vol. I, Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood And Sons, 1861, Book I, Ch. X, The Lovers — The Encounter And Quarrel Of The Rivals, P. 123) source
“It is astonishing how little one feels poverty when one loves.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(“My Novel Or Varieties In English Life By Pisistratus Caxton By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., In Two Volumes, Vol. I, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1860, Book First, Ch. XII; P. 65) source
(You can also find this quote here.)
“Tis not by the grey of the hair that one knows the age of the heart.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Parisians By Edward Bulwer, Lord Lytton, Complete In One Volume, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1874, Book VII, Ch.VI, P. 149) source
(The quote is also found in: The Parisians By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, In Two Volumes, Vol.II, London: George Routledge And Sons, Limited, Book VII, Ch.VI, P. 51 ) source
“…a life of pleasure makes even the strongest mind frivolous at last.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Godolphin And Falkland By Edward Bulwer Lytton, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz Jun., 1842, Ch. LI, P. 237) source
(The quote is also found in: Godolphin By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Complete In One Volume, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1890, ch. LI, P. 362) source
“In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(What Will He Do With It? Two Volumes In One By Edward Bulwer Lytton, Boston: Dana Estes & Company Publishers, Vol. II, Book VII, Ch. XXI; P. 136) source
(The quote is also found in: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume LXXXIV, July-December 1858, William Blackwood & Sons, 1858, Aug 1858, What Will He Do With It?, Part XV, Ch. XXI, P. 233) source
“Chance happens to all, ….but to turn chance to account is the gift of few.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton Bart., New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1864, Essay X, Hints On Mental Culture, P. 113) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“…a fool… flatters himself, a wise man flatters the fool.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Pelham, Or, The Adventures Of A Gentleman By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Complete In One Volume, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1883, Ch.XII; p.76) source
(The quote is also found in: Pelham Or, Adventures Of A Gentleman By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Son, 1875, Ch. XII, P. 40) source
“…all the knowledge that we mortals can acquire is not knowledge positive and perfect, but knowledge comparative, and subject to the errors and passions of humanity.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(“My Novel” Or Varieties In English Life By Pisistratus Caxton By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., In Two Volume, Vol. I, London: George Routledge, 1856, Book Fourth, Ch. XIX; P. 208) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“Money is a terrible blab; she will betray the secrets of her owner, whatever he do to gag her. His virtues will creep out in her whisper; his vices she will cry aloud at the top of her tongue.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners Vol. I By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Cambridge University Press, 2011, Essay VII, On The Management Of Money (Addressed Chiefly To The Young), P. 82) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“…if I were to deliver up my whole self to the arbitrament of special pleaders, today I might be argued into an atheist, and tomorrow into a pickpocket.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., New York: Harper & Brothers, 1864, Essay VII, On The Management Of Money (Addressed Chiefly To The Young), P. 65) source
(The quote is also found here and here.)
“In belief lies the secret of all our valuable exertion.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Lord Lytton’s Novels Knebworth Edition Vol. XVI., Godolphin By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1875, Ch.XXXIII, P. 186) source
(The quote is also found in: Godolphin By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Complete In One Volume, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1890, Ch.XXXIII; P. 260) source
(Another source of the quote: The Wit And Wisdom Of E. Bulwer-Lytton Compiled By C. L. Bonney, New York: John B. Alden, 1885, Belief The Secret Of Exertion, Ch. 33, P. 131) source
“…childhood and genius have the same master-organ in common inquisitiveness. Let childhood have its way, and as it began where genius begins, it may find what genius finds.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Caxtons: A Family Picture By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, New York: Harper & Brother Publishers, 1860, Part First, Ch.IV, P. 15) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“The heart loves repose and the soul contemplation, but the mind needs action.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(A Strange Story; And The Haunted And The Haunters, By The Author Of ‘Rienzi’, “My Novel”, London: George Routledge & Sons, 1865, Ch. LX, P.234) source
(The quote is also found in: A Strange Story: And The Haunted And The Haunters By Edward Bulwer Lytton, New York: The Cassell Publishing Co., Ch. LX, P. 287) source
“Debt is to man what the serpent is to the bird ; its eye fascinates, its breath poisons, its coil crushes sinew and bone, its jaw is the pitiless grave.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., New York: Harper & Brothers, 1863, Essay VII, On The Management of Money (Addressed Chiefly To The Young), P. 62) source
(The quote is also found in: Caxtonia: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners, Essay VII, On The Management Of Money (Addressed Chiefly To The Young), P. 83) source
“The mind profits by the wreck of every passion, and we may measure our road to wisdom by the sorrows we have undergone.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Ernest Maltravers By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., London: Routledge, Warne & Routledge, 1865, Book I, Ch. XIV, P. 41) source
(The quote is also found in: Ernest Maltravers; Or, The Eleusinia by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Part The First, Vol. I, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1866, Book I, Ch. XIV, P. 90) source
“It is destiny… phrase of the weak human heart… dark apology for every error. The strong and virtuous admit no destiny. On earth, guides conscience… in heaven, watches God. And destiny is but the phantom we invoke to silence the one… to dethrone the other.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Last Of The Barons By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1889, Book X, Ch. VI, P. 195) source
(The quote is also found in: The Last Of The Barons By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., M.P., London: Chapman And Hall, 1853, Book The Tenth, Ch. VI, P. 379) source
“…the truest eloquence is that which holds us too mute for applause.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Parisians by The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge And Sons Limited, 1875, Book IX, Ch. IV, P. 112) source
(The quote is also found in: The Parisians By Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton, In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge, 1878, Book IX, Ch. 4, P. 103) source
“Whatever the number of a man’s friends, there will be times in his life when he has one too few; but if he has only one enemy, he is lucky indeed if he has not one too many.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(What Will He Do With It By Pisistratus Caxton, A Novel by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge & Sons, 1866, Book IX, Ch. III; P. 161 ) source
(The quote is also found in: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume LXXXIV, July – December, 1858, Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood & Sons, 1858, Oct. 1858, What Will He Do With It? Part XVII by Pisistratus Caxton, Ch.III, P. 394) source
“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm. It is the real allegory of the tale of Orpheus — it moves stones, and it charms brutes. Enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity, and truth, accomplishes no victories without it.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Last Days Of Pompeii By Edward Bulwer Lytton, In Three Volumes, Vol. I, London: Richard Bentley, 1834, Book I, Ch. VIII, P. 145) source
(The quote is also found in: The Last Days Of Pompeii By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, London: George Routledge And Co., 15, Book The First, Ch. VIII; P. 53) source
“…what love has most to dread in the wild heart of aspiring man , is not persons, but things, – is not things, but their symbols.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Harold The Last Of The Saxon Kings By Edward Bulwer Lytton, Vol. II, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1904, Book VIII,Fate, Ch. III, P. 9) source
(The quote is also found in: Harold The Last Of The Saxon Kings Bhe Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge & Sons, 1874, Book VIII, Ch. III, P. 265) source
“If we could annihilate evil we should annihilate hope; and hope… is the avenue to faith.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(“My Novel” By Pisistratus Or, Varieties In English Life, London: George Routledge & Sons., 1853, Book II, Ch. XII, P. 89) source
(The quote is also found in: “My Novel” By Pisistratus Or, Varieties In English Life, London: George Routledge & Co., 1854, Book II, Ch. XII, P. 89) source
“Life consists in the alternate process of learning and unlearning, but it is often wiser to unlearn than to learn.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Kenelm Chillingly His Adventures And Opinions By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1888, Book IV, Ch.VII, P. 232) source
(The quote is also found in: Kenelm Chillingly His Adventures And Opinions By Lord Lytton (Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart.), New York: Hovendon Co., Book IV, Ch. VII, P. 250) source
“Strike from mankind the principle of faith, and men would have no more history than a flock of sheep.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, and Manners by Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1863, Essay XVIII, Faith And Charity, Or The Union, In Practical Life, Of Sincerity And Conciliation, P. 189) source
(The quote is also found in: Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners by Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, In Two Volumes, Vol. I, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1864, Essay XVIII, Faith And Charity, Or The Union, In Practical Life, Of Sincerity And Conciliation; p.282) source
“Fate, which is not the ruler but the servant of Providence, decides our choice of life, and rarely from outward circumstances.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Parisians By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge And Sons Limited, Book III, Ch. II, P. 150) source
(The quote is also found in: The Parisians, Volumes 1-2 By Edward Bulwer Lytton, Cambridge University Press, 1873, Book III, Ch. II, P. 133) source
“There are many more fools in the world than there are knaves, otherwise the knaves could not exist.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1863, Essay XXV, On Some Authors In Whose Writings Knowledge Of The World Is Eminently Displayed, P. 359) source
(The quote is also found in: Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, In Two Volumes, Vol.II, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1864, Essay XXV, On Some Authors In Whose Writings Knowledge Of The World Is Eminently Displayed, P. 199) source
“Heaven often veils its most provident mercy in what to man seems its sternest inflictions.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(What Will He Do With It? By Pisistratus Caxton, A Novel by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Complete In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge & Sons, 1866, Book VII, Ch. XX; P. 91) source
(The quote can also found in: What Will He Do With It? By Pisistratus Caxton, A Novel By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Complete In Two Volumes, Vol. II, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1868, Book VII, Ch. XX, P.11) source
“…it is an inevitable law that a man, in spite of himself, should live for something higher than his own happiness. He cannot live in himself or for himself, however egotistical he may try to be. Every desire he has links him with others.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Caxtons A Family Picture By Edward Bulwer Lytton (Lord Lytton), In Two Volumes, Vol. I, Boston: Estes And Lauriet, 1891, Part Sixth, Ch. I, P. 142) source
(The quote is also found in: The Caxtons; A Family Picture By Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, In Two Volumes, Vol. I, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1849, Part VI, Ch.I, P. 163) source
“Happiness and virtue re-act upon each other; the best are not only the happiest, but the happiest are usually the best.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Student And Asmodeus At Large By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1875, On The Departure Of Youth, P. 36) source
(The quote is found in: Miscellaneous Prose Works By Edward Bulwer Lytton, In Four Volumes, Vol.III, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1868, Essays Written In Youth, III. On Departure Of Youth, P. 38) source
“…to be happy… you must forget yourself. …Learn benevolence — it is the only cure to a morbid nature.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Godolphin A Novel In Three Volumes, Vol.III, London: Richard Bentley, 1833, Ch. XXII, P. 226) source
(The quote is also found in: Godolphin And Falkland By Edward Bulwer Lytton Baron Lytton , Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz Jun., 1842, Godolphin, Ch. LXIV, P. 287) source
“…if a good face is a letter of recommendation, a good heart is a letter of credit.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(What Will He Do With It By Pisistratus Caxton A Novel By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Complete In Two Volumes, Vol.I, J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1868, Book Second, Ch. XI, P. 180) source
(The quote is also found in: What Will He Do With It By Pisistratus Caxton A Novel By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., In Two Volumes, Vol.I, London: Routledge, Warne & Routledge, 1864, Book Second, Ch. XI, P. 84) source
“…hope warps judgment in council, but quickens energy in action.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1863, Essay XV, The Sanguine Temperament, P. 160) source
(The quote is also found in: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume XCII, July – December, 1862, Edinburgh London: William Blackwood & Sons, 1862, Oct 1862, No. XIV – The Sanguine Temperament, P. 412) source
“…it is not wisdom, but ignorance, which teaches men presumption; Genius may be sometimes arrogant, but nothing is so diffident as knowledge.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Disowned Bir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Library Edition – In Two Volumes, Vol.I, Edinburgh London: William Blackwood And Sons, 1862, Ch. LXII, P. 165) source
(The quote is also found in: Collection Of British Authors Vol.XVI, The Disowned By Bulwer In One Volume, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1842, Ch. LXIV, P. 373) source
“Nothing ages like laziness.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(What Will He Do With It By Pisistratus Caxton A Novel By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Complete In Three Volumes, Vol.I, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1865, Book Second, Ch.IX, P. 173) source
(The quote is also found in: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume LXXXII, July – December, 1857, William Blackwood & Sons, 1857, August 1857, What Will He Do With It? Part III, Book II, Ch. IX, P. 150) source
“What men want is not talent ; it is purpose ; in other words, not the power to achieve, but the will to labor.”– Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Lucretia: Or The Children Of Night By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Library Edition In Two Volumes, Vol.II, Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood And Sons, 1863, Ch. XII Sudden Celebrity And Patient Hope, P. 116) source
(The quote is also found in: Lucretia: Or The Children Of Night By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., In Two Volumes, Vol.II, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz Jun, 1846, Ch. XII, Sudden Celebrity And Patient Hope, P. 84) source
“The good man does good merely by living.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Kenelm Chillingly His Adventures And Opinions, By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1888, Book VIII, Ch. VIII, p. 417) source
(The quote is also found in: Kenelm Chillingly His Adventures And Opinions By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1878, Book VIII, Ch. VIII; P. 505) source
“…innocence is but a poor substitute for experience.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Student: A Series of Papers By Sir E. L. Bulwer, London: Saunders And Otley, London: Simpkin, Marshall, And Company, Edinburgh: Bell And Bradfute, Dublin: J. Cumming, 1840, The New Phaedo, Conversation The Third, P. 113 ) source
(The quote is also found in: Conversations With An Ambitious Student In Ill Health: With Other Pieces By Edward Bulwer Lytton, New York: J & J Harper, 1832, P. 51) source
“Personal liberty is the paramount essential to human dignity and human happiness.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1863, Essay VII, On The Management Of Money (Addressed Chiefly To The Young), P. 62) source
(The quote is also found in: Letters, Essays, And Thoughts On Studies And Conduct; Addressed To Young Persons By Men Of Eminent In Literature And Affairs, Edited By Henry Barnard, Hartford: The American Journal Of Education, 1873, Ch. X, Money It’s Acquisition And Management, 5. Lord Bulwer-Lytton- The Art Of Managing Money, Horror Of Debt, P. 266 ) source
“There are two lives to each of us, …the life of our actions, the life of our minds. History reveals men’s deeds and men’s outward characters, but not themselves. There is a secret self that hath its own life “rounded by a dream,” unpenetrated, unguessed.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Pilgrims Of The Rhine By Edward Bulwer Lytton, London: Saunders And Otley, 1834, Ch. XXII, The Double Life – Trevylan’s Fate – Sorrow The Parent Of Niederlahnstein – Dreams, P. 229) source
(The quote is also found in: The Pilgrims Of The Rhine By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, London: Bart., Chapman And Hall, 1850, Ch. XXII, The Double Life – Trevylan’s Fate – Sorrow The Parent Of Niederlahnstein – Dreams, P. 116) source
“…we seldom contemn mankind till they have hurt us ; and when they have hurt us, we seldom do any thing but detest them for the injury.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Devereux A Tale By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Chicago & New York: Belford, Clarke & Company, 1890, Book III, Ch. IV, P. 186) source
(The quote is also found in: Devereux By Edward Bulwer Lytton, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz Jun., 1842, Book III, Ch.IV, P. 193) source
“A mind once cultivated will not lie fallow for half an hour.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, and Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1863, Essay X, Hints On Mental Culture, P. 103) source
(The quote is also found in: Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners by Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, In Two Volumes, Vol.I, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1864, Essay X, Hints On Mental Culture, P. 144) source
“…the same refinement which brings us new pleasures, exposes us to new pains…” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(“My Novel” By Pisistratus Caxton; Or, Varieties In English Life, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1853, Book Four, Comprising Mr. Caxton’s Opinions On The Matrimonial State, Supported By Learned Authorities, Ch. XX, P. 353) source
(The quote is also found in: “My Novel” by Pisistratus Caxton; Or, Varieties in English Life , In Two Volumes, Vol. I, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1856, Book Four, Comprising Mr. Caxton’s Opinions On The Matrimonial State, Supported By Learned Authorities, Ch.XX, P. 10 source
“Politics is the art of being wise for others. Policy is the art of being wise for oneself.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Devereux A Tale By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Chicago New York: Belford, Clarke & Company, 1890, Book IV, Ch.IV, P. 238) source
(The quote is also found in: The Complete Works Of E. L. Bulwer, Leipzig: Frederick Fleischer, 1834, Devereux A Tale, Book IV, Ch. IV, P. 347) source
“…books are waste paper, unless we spend in action the wisdom we get from thought.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Ernest Maltravers By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1889, Book I, Ch.XV, P. 52) source
(The quote is also found in: Ernest Maltravers Or The Eleusinia By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., In Two Volumes, Vol.I, Edingburgh London: William Blackwood And Sons, 186, Book I, Ernest Maltravers, Ch. XV, P. 113) source
“…punctuality is the stern virtue of men of business, and the graceful courtesy of princes.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(“My Novel” By Pisistratus Caxton; Or, Varieties in English Life , In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1878, Book X, Upon This Fact-That The World Is Still Much The Same As It Always Has Been, Ch.VII, P. 197 ) source
(The quote is also found in: Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume LXXI, January-June, 1852, Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons, 1852, March 1852, My Novel; Or, Varieties In English Life By Pisistratus Caxton, Part XIX, Ch. VII, P. 314) source
“Remorse is the echo of a lost virtue…” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Zanoni by The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1888, Book The Seventh, The Reign Of Terror, Ch.XVI, P. 322) source
(The quote is also found in: The Complete Works of E. L. Bulwer, Vol.XIX, Leipzig: Frederick Fleischer, 1842, Zanoni By Edward Lytton Bulwer, Book The Seventh, The Reign Of Terror, Ch. XVI, P. 518) source
“It is astonishing how well men wear when they think of no one but themselves.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(“My Novel” By Pisistratus Caxton; Or, Varieties In English Life , In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1878, Book Tenth, Upon This Fact-That The World Is Still Much The Same As It Always Has Been, Ch. XXV, P. 272) source
(The quote is also found in: “My Novel” Or, Varieties In English Life By Psisitratus, By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, In Two Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge & Sons, 1852, Book Tenth, Upon This Fact-That The World Is Still Much The Same As It Always Has Been, Ch. XXV, P. 242) source
“In life, as in whist, hope nothing from the way cards may be dealt to you. Play the cards, whatever they be, to the best of your skill.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1863, Essay XV, The Sanguine Temperament, P. 159) source
(The quote is also found in: Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart., In Two Volumes, Vol.I, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1864, Essay XV, The Sanguine Temperament, P. 232) source
“The main reason why silence is so efficacious an element of repute is, firstly, because of that magnification which proverbially belongs to the unknown ; and, secondly, because silence provokes no man’s envy, and wounds no man’s self-love.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series of Essays On Life, Literature, and Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1863, Essay V, On Intellectual Conduct As Distinct From Moral: “The Superior Man”, P. 45) source
(The quote is also found in: Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, In Two Volumes, Vol. I, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1864, Essay V, On Intellectual Conduct As Distinct From Moral: “The Superior Man”, P. 56) source
“…earnest men never think in vain though their thoughts may be errors.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Caxtons A Family Picture By Edward Bulwer Lytton (Lord Lytton), New York: The Cassell Publishing Co., 1849, Part Fourth, Ch. II, P. 82) source
(The quote is also found in: The Caxtons: A Family Picture By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart. M.P., London: George Routledge & Co., 1855, Part Fourth, Ch. II, P. 65) source
“One of the sublimest things in the world is plain truth.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(England And The English, In Two Volumes, Vol, I By Edward Bulwer Lytton, New York: J J. Harper, 1833, Book Of The First, View Of The English Character, Ch. III, P. 57) source
(The quote is also found in: England And The English By Edward Lytton Bulwer, Esq., In Two Volumes, Vol. I, London: Richard Bentley, 1833, Book Of The First, Ch. III, P. 83) source
“People who are very vain are usually equally susceptible ; and they who feel one thing acutely, will so feel another.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Disowned By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Library Edition – In Two Volumes, Vol.I, Edinburgh London: William Blackwood And Sons, 1862, Ch. XX, P. 167) source
(The quote is also found in: The Disowned By Edward Bulwer Lytton, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1842, Ch.XX, P. 120) source
“…little minds give importance to the man who gives importance to nothing.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Night And Morning By Edward Bulwer Lytton (Lord Lytton), New York: The Cassell Publishing Co., Book. IV, Ch.VII, P. 312) source
(The quote is also found in: Night And Morning By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1875, Book.IV, Ch.VII, P. 356) source
“Repent! – that is the idlest word in our language.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Collection Of British Authors Tauchnitz Edition, Vol. VII, Paul Clifford By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., In One Volume, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitzch, 1842, Ch. XVIII, P. 209) source
(The quote is also found in: Paul Clifford By In Two Volumes, Vol, I, By Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, New York: J J Harper, 1830, Ch. XX, P. 197) source
“…there is no society, however free and democratic, where wealth will not create an aristocracy.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Disowned By Sir Edward Lytton, Bart., Library Editions In Two Volumes, Vol.I, Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood And Sons, 1862, Ch. III, PP. 31-32) source
(The quote is also found in: Collection Of British Authors Vol.XVI, The Disowned By Bulwer In One Volume, The Disowned By Edward Lytton Bulwer, Leipig: Bernhard Tauchnitz Jun, 1842, Ch. III, P. 22) source
“…the magic of the tongue is the most dangerous of all spells.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Eugene Aram: A Tale By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., Vol.I, Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood And Sons, 1861, Book I, Ch.VII, P. 93) source
(The quote is also found in: Eugene Aram: A Tale By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart., M.P., London: Ward, Lock & Co., 1883, Book I, Ch. VII, P. 51) source
“…success never needs an excuse.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Speeches Of Edward Lord Lytton With Some Of His Political Writings And A Prefatory Memoir By His Son, In Two Volumes, Vol.I, Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood And Sons, 1874, XV. A Speech Delivered In The House Of Commons On The 15th Of May 1854, The Excise Duties; P. 199) source
(The quote is also found here.)
“…when you borrow on your character, it is your character that you leave in pawn.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1863, Essay VII, On The Management Of Money (Addressed Chiefly To The Young), P. 64) source
(The quote is also found in: Caxtoniana: A Series Of Essays On Life, Literature, And Manners By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart, In Two Volumes, Vol.I, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1864, Essay VII, On The Management Of Money (Addressed Chiefly To The Young), P. 85) source
“Man is arrogant in proportion to his ignorance.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(Zanoni By Edward Bulwer Lytton, In One Volume, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz Jun., 1842, Book The Fourth, The Dweller Of The Threshold, Ch. IV, P. 213) source
(The quote is also found in: Zanoni By The Right Hon. Lord Lytton, London: George Routledge And Sons, 1888, Book The Fourth, Ch. IV, P. 177) source
“…a good heart is better than all the heads in the world.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Disowned By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart, In One Volume, Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1842, Ch. XXXIII, P. 184) source
(The quote is also found in: The Disowned By Sir Edward Lytton Bulwer, Bart, Volume I, Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood & Sons, 1862, Ch. XXXIII, P. 261) source
“Rank is a great beautifier.” – Edward Bulwer-Lytton
(The Lady Of Lyons; Or, Love And Pride, A Play in Five Acts By Edward Bulwer Lytton, London: Chapman And Hall, 1853, Act II, Sc. I, P. 28) source
(The quote is also found in: The Lady of Lyons; Or, Love And Pride, A Play In Five Acts By Edward Bulwer Lytton, London: Saunders And Otley, 1839, Act II, Sc. I, P. 28) source