British Literature/old English Literature 449-1066

Famous quotes containing the words british, literature and/or english:

    It is said that the British Empire is very large and respectable, and that the United States are a first-rate power. We do not believe that a tide rises and falls behind every man which can float the British Empire like a chip, if he should ever harbor it in his mind.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    The use of literature is to afford us a platform whence we may command a view of our present life, a purchase by which we may move it.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    The English are crooked as a nation and honest as individuals. The contrary is true of the French, who are honest as a nation and crooked as individuals.
    Edmond De Goncourt (1822–1896)