Skip to content

Some particular instances may occur of eunuchs distinguished by their fidelity, their valour, and their abilities; but if we examine the general history of Persia, India, and China, we shall find that the power of the eunuchs has uniformly marked the decline and fall of every dynasty.

— Edward Gibbon The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

Another quote →

Source and credibility

Wikiquote does not flag this quote as disputed or misattributed.

Source: Chapter 19.
Work: The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, 1776
Source quality: Source identified Names the work or year, but without an exact location.

More by Edward Gibbon

Our sympathy is cold to the relation of distant misery.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

I was never less alone than when by myself.

Memoirs (1796)

Revenge is profitable, gratitude is expensive.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

The true interest of an absolute monarch generally coincides with that of his people.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

In every deed of mischief he had a heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

A people elated by pride, or soured by discontent, is seldom qualified to form a just estimate of their actual situation.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

In every age the Persians have been addicted to intemperance, and the wines of Shiraz have triumphed over the law of Mahomet.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

A weak prince will always be governed by his domestics.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

All Edward Gibbon quotes →

More quotes by Edward Gibbon

There exists in human nature a strong propensity to depreciate the advantages, and to magnify the evils, of the present times.

The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

In a distant age and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussyn will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

The principles of a free constitution are irrecoverably lost, when the legislative power is nominated by the executive.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

Vicissitudes of fortune, which spares neither man nor the proudest of his works, which buries empires and cities in a common grave.

The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

All Edward Gibbon quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Edward Gibbon (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.