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The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, familiar things new.

William Makepeace Thackeray

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William Makepeace Thackeray
Age: 52 †
Born: 1811
Born: July 18
Died: 1863
Died: December 24
Novelist
Prosaist
Writer
Calcutta
William Makepeace Thackeray
George Fitz-Boodle
Writing
Make
Things
Engaging
Author
Powers
Familiar
Written
Two

More quotes by William Makepeace Thackeray

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Out of the fictitious book I get the expression of the life, of the times, of the manners, of the merriment, of the dress, the pleasure, the laughter, the ridicules of society. The old times live again. Can the heaviest historian do more for me?
William Makepeace Thackeray
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Next to eating good dinners, a healthy man with a benevolent turn of mind, must like, I think, to read about them.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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We are most of us very lonely in this world you who have any who love you, cling to them and thank God.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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Always to be right, always to trample forward, and never to doubt, are not these the great qualities with which dullness takes the lead in the world?
William Makepeace Thackeray
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A pair of bright eyes with a dozen glances suffice to subdue a man to enslave him, and enflame him to make him even forget they dazzle him so that the past becomes straightway dim to him and he so prizes them that he would give all his life to possess 'em.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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The ladies--Heaven bless them!--are, as a general rule, coquettes from babyhood upwards.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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No particular motive for living, except the custom and habit of it.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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A lady who sets her heart upon a lad in uniform must prepare to change lovers pretty quickly, or her life will be but a sad one.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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The affection of young ladies is of as rapid growth as Jack's beanstalk, and reaches up to the sky in a night.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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Since the days of Adam, there has been hardly a mischief done in this world but a woman has been at the bottom of it.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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Happiest time of youth and life, when love is first spoken and returned when the dearest eyes are daily shining welcome, and the fondest lips never tire of whispering their sweet secrets when the parting look that accompanies Good night! gives delightful warning of tomorrow.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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Who feels injustice, who shrinks before a slight, who has a sense of wrong so acute, and so glowing a gratitude for kindness, as a generous boy?
William Makepeace Thackeray
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It is best to love wisely, no doubt but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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Almost all women will give a sympathizing hearing to men who are in love. Be they ever so old, they grow young again with that conversation, and renew their own early times.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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What will a man not do when frantic with love? To what baseness will he not demean himself? What pangs will he not make others suffer, so that he may ease his selfish heart?
William Makepeace Thackeray
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Certain corpuscles, denominated Christmas Books, with the ostensible intention of swelling the tide of exhilaration, or other expansive emotions, incident upon the exodus of the old and the inauguration of the New Year.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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To our betters eve can reconcile ourselves, if you please--respecting them sincerely, laughing at their jokes, making allowance for their stupidities, meekly suffering their insolence but we can't pardon our equals going beyond us.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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It's a great comfort to some people to groan over their imaginary ills.
William Makepeace Thackeray
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If people only made prudent marriages, what a stop to population there would be!
William Makepeace Thackeray
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I wonder is it because men are cowards in heart that they admire bravery so much, and place military valor so far beyond every other quality for reward and worship.
William Makepeace Thackeray