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For he that does good, having the unlimited power to do evil, deserves praise not only for the good which he performs, but for the evil which he forbears.

— Walter Scott Ivanhoe (1819)

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More quotes by Walter Scott

O, what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!

Marmion (1808)

The paths of virtue, though seldom those of worldly greatness, are always those of pleasantness and peace.

The Heart of Midlothian (1818)

Just at the age 'twixt boy and youth,
When thought is speech, and speech is truth.

Marmion (1808)

Although too much of a soldier among sovereigns, no one could claim with better right to be a sovereign among soldiers.

Life of Napoleon (1827)

Her blue eyes sought the west afar,
For lovers love the western star.

The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805)

All Walter Scott quotes →

Attribution

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