William Makepeace

William Makepeace Thackeray was an English author, novelist, literary critic and satirist, who lived in the 19th century and went on to become one of the best known authors of the time. Thackeray is best known for his novel ‘Vanity Fair’ published in 1848 which satirized the upper class of English society of the time and is regarded as one of the most accurate depictions of that era. Earlier in life, Thackeray had squandered his inheritance on gambling and failed ventures, which forced him to take up writing in order to make a living. He worked for ‘The Foreign Quarterly Review’, ‘Fraser’s Magazine’, ‘Punch’ and ‘The Morning Chronicle’ among others. ‘Fraser’s Magazine’ had also published two of his works of fiction titled ‘The Luck of Barry Lyndon’ and ‘Catherine’. However, his fortunes changed completely following the publication of ‘Vanity Fair’ and readers compared his work with that of the legendary Charles Dickens. Thackeray could not replicate the success of ‘Vanity Fair’ with his subsequent novels but some of the notable ones include ‘The Newcomers’, ‘Pendennis’, ‘The Adventures of Philip’ and ‘Bildungsroman’. Thackeray was also a man of sharp and ironic wit that made him such a successful writer of satire. Whatever he has said or written have become quite famous as his quotes and thoughts and is quoted extensively. His thoughts and quotations tackle the most serious and sensitive topics in a lighter tone. Here are some of the best quotations and thoughts from William Makepeace Thackeray’s life and works.