Skip to content

Quotes from The Mikado — W. S. Gilbert

1836–1911 England

← All quotes by W. S. Gilbert

8 quotes

My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time—
To let the punishment fit the crime,
The punishment fit the crime.

The Mikado (1885)

The idiot who praises, with enthusiastic tone,
All centuries but this and every country but his own.

The Mikado (1885)

The lady who dyes a chemical yellow,
Or stains her grey hair puce,
Or pinches her figger,
Is blacked like a nigger
With permanent walnut juice.

The Mikado (1885)

Ah pray, make no mistake,
we are not shy;
We're very wide awake,
The moon and I!

The Mikado (1885)

No money, no grovel!
(Actually an ad-lib introduced by Rutland Barrington when playing the rôle of Pooh-Bah, to the annoyance of Gilbert.)

The Mikado (1885)

I have a left shoulder-blade that is a miracle of loveliness. People come miles to see it. My right elbow has a fascination that few can resist.

The Mikado (1885)

...but it's an unjust world, and virtue is triumphant only in theatrical performances.

The Mikado (1885)

As someday it may happen that a victim must be found
I've got a little list, I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed—who never would be missed!

The Mikado (1885)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: W. S. Gilbert (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.