One thing only has been lent to youth and age in common--discontent. Matthew Arnold More Quotes by Matthew Arnold More Quotes From Matthew Arnold Ah! two desires toss about The poet's feverish blood; One drives him to the world without, And one to solitude. Matthew Arnold solitudetwoblood I knew the mass of men conceal'd Their thoughts, for fear that if reveal'd They would by other men be met With blank indifference. Matthew Arnold metsindifferencemen Style ... is a peculiar recasting and heightening, under a certain condition of spiritual excitement, of what a man has to say, in such a manner as to add dignity and distinction to it. Matthew Arnold stylespiritualmen And long we try in vain to speak and act Our hidden self, and what we say and do Is eloquent, is well -- but 'tis not true! Matthew Arnold selftryinglong Fate gave, what Chance shall not control, His sad lucidity of soul. Matthew Arnold fatechancesoul Business could not make dull, nor passion wild; Who saw life steadily, and saw it whole. Matthew Arnold sawspassiondull Weep bitterly over the dead, for he is worthy, and then comfort thyself; drive heaviness away: thou shall not do him good, but hurt thyself. Matthew Arnold worthyhurtcomfort And thou, who didst the stars and sunbeams know, Self-school'd, self-scann'd, self-honour'd, self-secure, Didst tread on earth unguess'd at. Better so! All pains the immortal spirit must endure, All weakness which impairs, all griefs which bow, Find their sole speech in that victorious brow. Matthew Arnold painstarsgrief Know, man hath all which Nature hath, but more, And in that more lie all his hopes of good. Matthew Arnold good-manmenlying Culture is properly described as the love of perfection; it is a study of perfection. Matthew Arnold swagperfectionculture Greatness is a spiritual condition worthy to excite love, interest, and admiration; and the outward proof of possessing greatness is that we excite love, interest, and admiration. Matthew Arnold greatnessspirituallife Good poetry does undoubtedly tend to form the soul and character; it tends to beget a love of beauty and of truth in alliance together, it suggests, however indirectly, high and noble principles of action, and it inspires the emotion so helpful in making principles operative. Matthew Arnold poetrycharacterinspire If one were searching for the best means to efface and kill in a whole nation the discipline of self-respect, the feeling for what is elevated, he could do no better than take the American newspapers. Matthew Arnold disciplineselfmean Art still has truth. Take refuge there. Matthew Arnold refugestillsart The true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality, but morality touched by emotion. Matthew Arnold ethicsreligiousreligion Culture being a pursuit of our total perfection by means of getting to know, on all the matters which most concern us, the best which has been thought and said in the world. Matthew Arnold perfectionmeanculture Whoever sets himself to see things as they are will find himself one of a very small circle but it is only by this small circle resolutely doing its own work that adequate ideas will ever get current at all. Matthew Arnold adequatecirclesideas Say, has some wet bird-haunted English lawn Lent it the music of its trees at dawn? Matthew Arnold dawntreebird The sophist sneers: Fool, take Thy pleasure, right or wrong! The pious wail: Forsake A world these sophists throng! Be neither saint nor sophist-led, but be a man. Matthew Arnold saintmenworld Years hence, perhaps, may dawn an age, More fortunate, alas! than we, Which without hardness will be sage, And gay without frivolity. Matthew Arnold gayageyears
