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That which especially distinguishes a high order of man from a low order of man, that which constitutes human goodness, human nobleness, is surely not the degree of enlightenment with which men pursue their own advantage; but it is self-forgetfulness; it is self-sacrifice; it is the disregard of personal pleasure, personal indulgence, personal advantage, remote or present, because some other line of conduct is more right.

— James Anthony Froude Short Studies on Great Subjects (1907)

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More quotes by James Anthony Froude

I cannot think the disputes and jealousies of Heaven are tried and settled by the swords of earth.

The Nemesis of Faith (1849)

The landlord may become a direct oppressor. He may care nothing for the people, and have no object but to squeeze the most that he can out of them fairly or unfairly.

I cut a hole in my heart and wrote with the blood.

On the writing of his novel The Nemesis of Faith (1849)

Change is strong, but habit is strong too; and you cannot change the old for new, like a garment.

The Nemesis of Faith (1849)

The men that write books, Carlyle says, are now the world's priests, the spiritual directors of mankind.

The Nemesis of Faith (1849)

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Men accept servility in order to acquire wealth; as if they could acquire anything of their own when they cannot even assert that they belong to themselves.

Étienne de La Boétie Discourse on Voluntary Servitude (1548)

The confusion of marriage with morality has done more to destroy the conscience of the human race than any other single error.

George Bernard Shaw Man and Superman (1903)

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.

C. S. Lewis God in the Dock (1970)

Affectation hides three times as many virtues as charity does sins.

Horace Mann Thoughts Selected from the Writings of Horace Mann (1867)

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