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Daniel Defoe Biography

Daniel Defoe (/dɪˈfoʊ/; 13 September 1660 - 24 April 1731), born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, which is second only to the Bible in its number of translations. Defoe is noted for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson, and is among the founders of the English novel. Defoe wrote many political tracts and often was in trouble with the authorities, including prison time. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted with him.

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Daniel Defoe Quotes

All the good things of the world are no further good to us than as they are of use; and of all we may heap up we enjoy only as much as we can use, and no more.

May, Things, Use, World

I saw the Cloud, though I did not foresee the Storm.

Cloud, Clouds, Foresee, Saws, Storm, Though

Though I don't like the crew, I won't sink the ship. In fact, in time of storm I'll do my best to save it. You see, we are all in this craft and must sink or swim together.

Save, Ship, Sink, Storm, Swim, Together

I hear much of people's calling out to punish the guilty, but very few are concerned to clear the innocent.

Calling, Clear, Concerned, Empathy, Inspirational, People

Call upon me in the Day of Trouble, and I will deliver, and thou shalt glorify me. . . Wait on the Lord, and be of good Cheer, and he shall strengthen thy Heart; wait, I say, on the Lord:' It is impossible to express the Comfort this gave me. In Answer, I thankfully laid down the Book, and was no more sad, at least, not on that Occasion.

Book, Cheer, Down, Glorify, Heart, Trouble

I could not forbear getting up to the top of a little mountain, and looking out to sea, in hopes of seeing a ship : then fancy that, at a vast distance, I spied a sail, please myself with the hopes of it, and, after looking steadily, till I was almost blind, lose it quite, and sit down and weep like a child, and thus increase my misery by my folly.

Children, Distance, Folly, Sail, Sea, Till

I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed, rather than what I wanted : and this gave me sometimes such secret comforts, that I cannot express them ; and which I take notice of here, to put those discontented people in mind of it, who cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given them, because they see and covet something that he has not given them. All our discontents about what we want appeared to me to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.

Condition, Dark, Gave, Notice, People, Spring

In trouble to be troubled, Is to have your trouble doubled! [People who get upset and worried at the first sign of misfortune are only making their situation worse and thereby doubling their troubles. Stay calm and happy. Cool and joyful heads are more likely to survive and prevail. ]

People, Sign, Stay Calm, Thereby, Trouble, Upset

And I add this part here, to hint to whoever shall read it, that whenever they come to a true Sense of things, they will find Deliverance from Sin a much greater Blessing than Deliverance from Affliction.

Add, Affliction, Blessing, Hints, Whenever

No man of common sense will value a woman the less, for not giving herself up at the first attack, or for not accepting his proposal without enquiring into his person or character; on the contrary, he must think her the weakest of all creatures in the world, as the rate of men now goes; in short, he must have a very contemptible opinion of her capacities, nay, even of her understanding, that having but one cast for her life, shall cast that life away at once, and make matrimony like death, be a leap in the dark.

Character, Creatures, Dark, Like, Men, Understanding

No man commits evil for the sake of it; even the Devil himself has some farther design in sinning, than barely the wicked part of it.

Design, Evil, Man, Men, Sake

Nature has left this tincture in the blood, That all men would be tyrants if they could.

Blood, Men, Nature, Tyrants

We are very fond of some families because they can be traced beyond the Conquest, whereas indeed the farther back, the worse, as being the nearer allied to a race of robbers and thieves.

Allied, Ancestry, Race, Robbers, Thieves, Worse

Necessity makes an honest man a knave.

Honesty, Knave, Literature, Man, Men, Necessity

She is always married too soon, who gets a bad husband, and she is never married too late, who gets a good one.

Bad, Gets, Good, Husband, Marriage, Too Late

These reflections made me very sensible of the goodness of Providence to me, and very thankful for my present condition, with all its hardships and misfortunes ; and this part also I cannot but recommend to the reflection of those who are apt, in their misery, to say, Is any affliction like mine? Let them consider how much worse the cases of some people are, and their case might have been, if Providence had thought fit.

Affliction, Case, Hardship, Misfortunes, People, Reflection

No shoots, says Friday, no yet, me shoot now, me no kill; me stay, give you one more laugh.

Friday, Give, Giving, Laughing, Stay

Things as certain as death and taxes, can be more firmly believed.

Certain, Death, Firmly, Friars, Taxes, Things

I had been tricked once by that Cheat called love, but the Game was over.

Cheat, Game, Games, Love, Tricked

The height of human wisdom is to bring our tempers down to our circumstances, and to make a calm within, under the weight of the greatest storm without.

Human, Storm, Weight, Wisdom

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