WIST Quotations

Irving, Washington -- “Philip of Pokanoket : An Indian Memoir,” The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon (1819–20)

Dave — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:53:03 +0000

Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author [pseud. for Geoffrey Crayon]
“Philip of Pokanoket : An Indian Memoir,” The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon (1819–20)

Sometimes presented in a longer form: "Great minds have purposes, others have wishes. Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them." This version, as quoted by Elbert Hubbard, is found as early as 1897, but has not been located in Irving's works.

Irving, Washington -- “Rip Van Winkle,” The Sketch Book (1820)

Dave — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 00:28:59 +0000

A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author [pseud. for Geoffrey Crayon]
“Rip Van Winkle,” The Sketch Book (1820)

See Howell (1659).

Irving, Washington -- “The Adventure Of The German Student”

Dave — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:53:08 +0000

There is an eloquence in true enthusiasm that is not to be doubted.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author [pseud. for Geoffrey Crayon]
“The Adventure Of The German Student”

Irving, Washington -- “The Mutabilities of Literature,” The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon (1819-20)

Dave — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:01:17 +0000

There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of human nature. They are like gigantic trees that we sometimes see on the banks of a stream; which, by their vast and deep roots, penetrating through the mere surface, and laying hold on the very foundations of the earth, preserve the soil around them from being swept away by the ever-flowing current, and hold up many a neighboring plant, and perhaps worthless weed, to perpetuity.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author [pseud. for Geoffrey Crayon]
“The Mutabilities of Literature,” The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon (1819-20)

Irving, Washington -- Bracebridge Hall, “Bachelors” (1822)

Dave — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:34:14 +0000

Whenever a man’s friends begin to compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think he is growing old.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author [pseud. for Geoffrey Crayon]
Bracebridge Hall, “Bachelors” (1822)

Sometimes attributed to Mark Twain.

Irving, Washington -- Knickerbocker’s History of New York, Book 2, ch. 3 (1809)

Dave — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:44:22 +0000

How convenient it would be to many of our great men and great families of doubtful origin, could they have the privilege of the heroes of yore, who, whenever their origin was involved in obscurity, modestly announced themselves descended from a god.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author [pseud. for Geoffrey Crayon]
Knickerbocker’s History of New York, Book 2, ch. 3 (1809)

Irving, Washington -- Tales of a Traveler, Preface (1824)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

There is a certain relief to change, even though it be from bad to worse; as I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one’s position and be bruised in a new place.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author [pseud. for Geoffrey Crayon]
Tales of a Traveler, Preface (1824)

Irving, Washington -- Tales of a Traveler, Part 2 “The Poor-Devil Author” (1824)

Dave — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 13:00:07 +0000

The only happy author in this world is he who is below the care of reputation.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author [pseud. for Geoffrey Crayon]
Tales of a Traveler, Part 2 “The Poor-Devil Author” (1824)