Thomas De Quincey
Born: 08-14-1785
Thomas De Quincey was an English essayist and literary critic, best known for his autobiographical work "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater," published in 1821. Born in 1785, De Quincey was a prominent figure in the Romantic literary movement, often exploring themes of imagination, addiction, and the subconscious. His vivid prose and introspective style have influenced writers and thinkers across generations, leaving a lasting impact on English literature.
Book summaries for books written by Thomas De Quincey
Quotes
I would rather be a kitten and cry, ‘Mew, mew,’ all day than be that monstrous thing I was the day before.
I am a miserable man; and have been so from the womb, and so shall I be to the tomb, I fear.
I am too weak even to struggle against my own sick heart.
What are drugs, and what is the love of drugs? It is a monster in which is treasured up the secret for destroying the world.
Oh, just, subtle, and mighty opium!
Weariness and sleep oppressed him. The night was bad; and he was glad when he saw the morning light.
I took my leave of opium in a moment of horror.
I, who had never thoroughly understood the uses of the opium I took, now trembled at the mysteries of endless perdition.
In the first stage of the opium war, I miscalculated my own forces and those of the enemy.
Numbers of people who would have shuddered at the proposition of rubbing off a particular spot on the furniture, have, without reluctance, agitated the question of erasing whole years from their life.
I had been a dreamer, I had been idle, I had gone on from day to day in a sort of trance, sighing, and wishing, and hoping, and imagining all sorts of vain happiness, without knowing how to fight for it.
I was a shell, a vision, and a mockery, but not a man.