Carlyle, Thomas -- Speech (1866-04-02), “On the Choice of Books,” Inaugural Address as Lord Rector, University of Edinburgh

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

For if a good speaker — an eloquent speaker — is not speaking the truth, is there a more horrid kind of object in creation?

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish essayist and historian
Speech (1866-04-02), “On the Choice of Books,” Inaugural Address as Lord Rector, University of Edinburgh
(Source)

Often rendered: "Can there be a more horrible object in existence than an eloquent man not speaking the truth?"

Regarding oration/declamation as an academic subject, and deemphasizing the importance of how something is said than what is being said.

See also Euripides (405 BC), Publilius Syrus (c. 40 BC).

WIST Quotations

Carlyle, Thomas -- Speech (1866-04-02), “On the Choice of Books,” Inaugural Address as Lord Rector, University of Edinburgh