William Makepeace Thackeray

William Makepeace Thackeray ( /ˈθækəri/; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.

Read more about William Makepeace Thackeray:  Biography, Works, Family Life, Reputation and Legacy

Famous quotes containing the words makepeace thackeray, william, makepeace and/or thackeray:

    “It is to the middle-class we must look for the safety of England.”
    —William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863)

    “Now owing, I’m much disposed to fear,
    To his terrible taste for tippling,
    That highly respectable gondolier
    Could never declare with a mind sincere
    Which of the two was his offspring dear
    And which the Royal stripling.”
    —Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836–1911)

    “If, in looking at the lives of princes, courtiers, men of rank and fashion, we must perforce depict them as idle, profligate, and criminal, we must make allowances for the rich men’s failings, and recollect that we, too, were very likely indolent and voluptuous, had we no motive for work, a mortal’s natural taste for pleasure, and the daily temptation of a large income. What could a great peer, with a great castle and park, and a great fortune, do but be splendid and idle?”
    —William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863)

    “It is impossible, in our condition of Society, not to be sometimes a Snob.”
    —William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863)