The thoughts they had were the parents of the actions they did; their feelings were the parents of their thoughts.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish essayist and historian

Lecture (1840-05-05), “The Hero as Divinity,” Home House, Portman Square, London
    (Source)

The lecture notes were collected by Carlyle into On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History, Lecture 1 (1841).