Thomas Hardy Quotes

“In the middle of the porch was a vertical sun-dial, whose gnomon swayed loosely about when the wind blew, and cast its shadow hither and thither, as much as to say, ‘Here’s your fine model dial; here’s any time for any man; I am an old dial; and shiftiness is the best policy.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“The spring came and calmed her; the summer came and soothed her; the autumn arrived, and she began to be comforted, for her little girl was strong and happy, growing in size and knowledge every day.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“The rain still continued, the candlelight falling upon the nearest drops and making glistening darts of them as they descended across the throng of invisible ones behind. To plunge into that medium was to plunge into water slightly diluted with air.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“don’t know about ghosts,” she was saying; “but I do know that our souls can be made to go outside our bodies when we are alive.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“He was getting on towards the dead level of middle age, when material things increasingly possess the mind.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“carrefour”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“toss-pot”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“The agricultural and pastoral character of the people upon whom the town depended for its existence was shown by the class of objects displayed in the shop windows. Scythes, reap-hooks, sheep-shears, bill-hooks, spades, mattocks, and hoes at the iron-monger’s; bee-hives, butter-firkins, churns, milking stools and pails, hay-rakes, field-flagons, and seed-lips at the cooper’s; cart-ropes and plough-harness at the saddler’s; carts, wheel-barrows, and mill-gear at the wheelwright’s and machinist’s, horse-embrocations at the chemist’s; at the glover’s and leather-cutter’s, hedging-gloves, thatchers’ knee-caps, ploughmen’s leggings, villagers’ pattens and clogs.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“grain, flour, milk, raisins, currants,”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“furmity;”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“fatuity”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“Well, sir, by all accounts the yeomanry will be put in front.’ ‘Front! That’s what my uncle has been saying.’ ‘Yes, and by all accounts ‘tis true. And naterelly they’ll be mowed down like grass; and you among ‘em, poor young galliant officer!’ ‘Look here, Cripplestraw. This is a reg’lar foolish report. How can yeomanry be put in front? Nobody’s put in front. We yeomanry have nothing to do with Buonaparte’s landing. We shall be away in a safe place, guarding the possessions and jewels. Now, can you see, Cripplestraw, any way at all that the yeomanry can be put in front? Do you think they really can?”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“furze-”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“The hill was covered on its northern side by an ancient and decaying plantation of beeches, whose upper verge formed a line over the crest, fringing its arched curve against the sky, like a mane. To-night these trees sheltered the southern slope from the keenest blasts, which smote the wood and floundered through it with a sound as of grumbling, or gushed over its crowning boughs in a weakened moan. The dry leaves in the ditch simmered and boiled in the same breezes, a tongue of air occasionally ferreting out a few, and sending them spinning across the grass. A group or two of the latest in date amongst the dead multitude had remained till this very mid-winter time on the twigs which bore them and in falling rattled against the trunks with smart taps.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“in PARADISE LOST, and at last whispered them to himself — ‘Fool’d and beguiled: by him thou, I by thee!”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“and l felt for the first time that my fastidiousness was a blessing.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: The Complete Novels [Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Two on a Tower, etc]

“Yes. With Mr. Farfrae. O Michael! I am already his wife. We were married this week at Port-Bredy. There were reasons against our doing it here. Mr. Grower was a witness because he happened to be at Port-Bredy at the time.”
― Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: Complete Novels

“Then the difference between a common man and a recognized poet is, that one has been deluded, and cured of his delusion, and the other continues deluded all his days.”
― Thomas Hardy, The Complete Novels