William Godwin Quotes
Occupation - pressing occupation that will not be said nay - is a sovereign remedy for grief.
Godwin, William. Mandeville: A Tale of the Seventeenth Century in England. Vol. 1, Archibald Constable and Co., 1817, p. 145.
A custom at the time was for people in grief to literally tear some of their hair out. This quotation is memorable because it is one of the earliest that questions established customs and traditions by using logic—something which is more common in modern times than in Ancient Greece, but even today much custom and superstition is accepted and followed without any logical analysis.
William Godwin was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for two books that he published within the space of a year: An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, an attack on political institutions, and Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams, an early mystery novel which attacks aristocratic privilege. Based on the success of both, Godwin featured prominently in the radical circles of London in the 1790s. He wrote prolifically in the genres of novels, history and demography throughout his life.
