There is scarcely any man who would not rather accuse himself of great crimes and of dark and tempestuous passions than proclaim all his little vanities and wild fancies. It would be easier to find a person who would avow actions like those of Caesar Borgia, or Danton, than one who would publish a daydream like those of Alnaschar and Malvolio. Those weaknesses which most men keep covered up in the most secret places of the mind, not to be disclosed to the eye of friendship or of love, were precisely the weakness which Boswell paraded before all the world. – T.B.Macaulay in essay on Samuel Johnson
We’re great fans of Macaulay for his trenchant style of writing.
Macaulay’s essays on Robert Clive, Warren Hastings, Samuel Johnson, William Pitt, Frederic the Great and other notable figures are a joy to read in an age when vehement criticism has all but disappeared..
On many a dark day, Macaulay has been our single solace.
Quote of the Day – T.B.Macaulay on Boswell added by SearchIndia.com on
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that’s not a quote of the day!
THIS is a quote of the day for SI!
Think Malcolm X’s quote does sound apt, with all the “hacked cracked” stuff.
nice quote(I think).. it would have made more sense had I known at least something about Caesar Borgia, or Danton etc. etc.
I have a strange feeling of having been enthralled by “Life of Samuel Johnson”.. it was most probably in my teens, if I did read it. Was it an abridged version at school or was it my father’s book collection.. not sure.
a joy to read in an age when vehement criticism has all but disappeared..
Now I see where SI gets the inspiration from..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Caesar Borgia was a notorious 15th century figure, the son of Pope Alexander VI (yes, some of the Popes had several mistresses and sired multiple children). Rumor has it that Machiavelli’s best known work Prince was modeled after the brutal Caesar Borgia.
Danton was one of the key revolutionaries that ushered in the French Revolution in the late 18th century.
2. Any impact from Irene? Must have left your state by now and heading toward us.
Nothing much so far here. No rain but the wind is picking up a bit.
here is another good “Quote of the Day”:
“In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit” – Ayn Rand
SearchIndia.com Responds:
One of these days, we’ll re-read Atlas Shrugged.
right now I’m on chapter 15 in “We the Living” and must say she really paints a bad picture of Soviet Russia and Communism in general! I actually am planning on starting an Objectivist study group at my college to enlighten others of this beautiful philosophy