Gulliver's Travels Quotes
"The style is very plain and simple; and the only fault I find is, that the author, after the manner of travellers, is a little too circumstantial."
"I was resolved to fit the work as much as possible to the general capacity of readers."
"By the advice of several worthy persons, I now venture to send them into the world, hoping they may be, at least for some time, a better entertainment to our young noblemen, than the common scribbles of politics and party."
"I do, in the next place, complain of my own great want of judgment, in being prevailed upon by the entreaties and false reasoning of you and some others."
"I desired you would let me know, by a letter, when party and faction were extinguished."
"I must freely confess, that since my last return, some corruptions of my Yahoo nature have revived in me by conversing with a few of your species."
"The people had notice, by proclamation, of my design to visit the town."
"I had, the evening before, drunk plentifully of a most delicious wine called glimigrim."
"It is upon this account that the image of Justice, in their courts of judicature, is formed with six eyes, two before, as many behind, and on each side one, to signify circumspection."
"In choosing persons for all employments, they have more regard to good morals than to great abilities."
"The disbelief of a Divine Providence renders a man incapable of holding any public station."
"Their notions relating to the duties of parents and children differ extremely from ours."
"The nursery for males of noble or eminent birth is provided with grave and learned professors."
"They are always employed in some business, except in the times of eating and sleeping."
"They are bred up in the principles of honour, justice, courage, modesty, clemency, religion, and love of their country."
"The cottagers and labourers keep their children at home, their business being only to till and cultivate the earth."
"I durst not rely on so dangerous a decision, in so critical a juncture, and against such powerful enemies."
"It might have pleased fortune, to have let the Lilliputians find some nation, where the people were as diminutive with respect to them, as they were to me."
"Nothing angered and mortified me so much as the queen’s dwarf; who being of the lowest stature that was ever in that country, became so insolent at seeing a creature so much beneath him."
"I was frequently rallied by the queen upon account of my fearfulness; and she used to ask me whether the people of my country were as great cowards as myself?"
"The country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty-one cities, near a hundred walled towns, and a great number of villages."
"I had always a strong impulse that I should some time recover my liberty, though it was impossible to conjecture by what means."
"I offered to leave my goods in security for payment of my freight: but the captain protested he would not receive one farthing."
"I began my discourse by informing his majesty, that our dominions consisted of two islands, which composed three mighty kingdoms, under one sovereign."
"The king heard me with attention, and began to conceive a much better opinion of me than he had ever before."
"However, now and then they take a whale that happens to be dashed against the rocks, which the common people feed on heartily."
"I once prevailed on the barber to give me some of the suds or lather, out of which I picked forty or fifty of the strongest stumps of hair."
"I slept some hours, but perpetually disturbed with dreams of the place I had left, and the dangers I had escaped."
"I considered how impossible it was to preserve my life in so desolate a place, and how miserable my end must be."
"The natural love of life gave me some inward motion of joy, and I was ready to entertain a hope that this adventure might, some way or other, help to deliver me."
"I lay all night in the cave where I had lodged my provisions."
"I walked awhile among the rocks: the sky was perfectly clear, and the sun so hot."
"I found by their pointing towards me and to each other, that they plainly discovered me."
"The knowledge I had in mathematics, gave me great assistance in acquiring their phraseology."
"The people in the streets walked fast, looked wild, their eyes fixed, and were generally in rags."
"It is a general complaint, that the favourites of princes are troubled with short and weak memories."
"I had often read of some great services done to princes and states, and desired to see the persons by whom those services were performed."
"I thought it more consistent with prudence and justice to pass the remainder of my days with my wife and family."
"The Luggnaggians are a polite and generous people; and although they are not without some share of that pride which is peculiar to all Eastern countries, yet they show themselves courteous to strangers."
"One day, in much good company, I was asked by a person of quality, 'whether I had seen any of their struldbrugs, or immortals?'"
"I freely own myself to have been struck with inexpressible delight, upon hearing this account."
"Happy nation, where every child hath at least a chance for being immortal!"
"I would first resolve, by all arts and methods, whatsoever, to procure myself riches."
"I discovered my admiration that I had not observed any of these illustrious persons at court."
"The least miserable among them appear to be those who turn to dotage, and entirely lose their memories."
"As soon as they have completed the term of eighty years, they are looked on as dead in law."
"At ninety, they lose their teeth and hair; they have at that age no distinction of taste."
"The king heard of all that had passed between me and my friends upon this occasion, and rallied me very pleasantly."
"I had rather be an instructor of youth in the principles of virtue and good manners, than a counselor to the greatest prince in the world."
"Nature is very easily satisfied; necessity is the mother of invention."
"I am not without hopes of being useful to my own species by celebrating the praises of the renowned Houyhnhnms and proposing their virtues to the imitation of mankind."
"I fell on my knees to preserve my liberty; but all was in vain."
"I confess it was whispered to me that I was bound in duty, as a subject of England, to have given in a memorial to a secretary of state at my first coming over."
"I had rather suffer the greatest hardships than return to live among Yahoos."
"But I could have easily vindicated humankind from the imputation of singularity."
"I write for the noblest end, to inform and instruct mankind."
"I have not been so studious of ornament as of truth."
"I could, perhaps, like others, have astonished thee with strange improbable tales; but I rather chose to relate plain matter of fact."