Quotes from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady

Samuel Richardson ·  1534 pages

Rating: (7.1K votes)


“I know not my own heart if it be not absolutely free.”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“Tired of myself longing for what I have not”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“By my soul, I can neither eat, drink, nor sleep; nor, what's still worse, love any woman in the world but her.”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“My heart and my hand shall never be separated.”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“You know not the value of the heart you have insulted... You, sir, I thank you, have lowered my fortunes: but, I bless God, that my mind is not sunk with my fortunes. It is, on the contrary, raised above fortune, and above you[.]”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady



“But these great minds cannot avoid doing extraordinary things!”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“Have I nothing new, nothing diverting, in my whimsical way, thou askest in one of thy letters to entertain thee with? and thou tellest me that, when I have least to narrate, to speak in the scottish phrase, I am most diverting, a pretty compliment either to thyself , or to me, to both indeed! a sign that thou hast as frothy a heart as I a head !”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“In other words, such is he desire which everyone has to exculpate himself by blackening his neighbour. You and I, Belford, have been very kind to the world in furnishing it with many opportunities to gratify its devil.”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“The person who will bear much shall have much to bear, all the world through.”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“Marriage is the highest state of friendship. If happy, it lessens our cares by dividing them, at the same time that it doubles our pleasures by mutual participation.”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady



“But these great minds cannot avois doing extraordinary things!”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“Pray , Mr Tomlinson, be seated. He took his chair over against her. I stood behind hers, that I might give him agreed-upon signals should there be occasions for them.
A thus-A wink of the left eye was to signify, Push that point, captain.
A wink of the right, and a nod was to indicate approbation of what he said.
My forefinger held up, and biting my lip, Get off of that as fast as possible.
A right forward nod, and a frown-Swear to it Captain.
My whole spread hand, To take care not to say too much on that particuliar subject.”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


“You are all too rich to be happy, child. For must not each of you be the constitutions of your family marry to be still richer? People who know in what their main excellence consists are not to be blamed (are they?) for cultivating and improving what they think most valuable? Is true happiness any part of your family-view?—So far from it, that none of your family but yourself could be happy were they not rich. So let them fret on, grumble and grudge, and accumulate; and wondering what ails them that they have not happiness when they have riches, think the cause is want of more; and so go on heaping up till Death, as greedy an accumulator as themselves, gathers them into his garner!”
― Samuel Richardson, quote from Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady


About the author

Samuel Richardson
Born place: in Mackworth, Derbyshire, England, The United Kingdom
Born date August 19, 1689
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