“Oh leave this barren spot to me! Spare, woodman, spare the beechen tree!”

— Thomas Campbell, The Beech Tree's Petition (1803)

About Thomas Campbell

1777 – 1844

Scottish poet, author of "Hallowed Ground".

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”

“'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view, And robes the mountain in its azure hue.”

“Who hath not owned, with rapture-smitten frame, The power of grace, the magic of a name?”

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”