“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
Khalil Gibran · The Prophet, 1923
quolira
quolira.com
Man is not the creature of circumstances. Circumstances are the creatures of men.
914 / 988
About this quote
Meaning
Disraeli is inverting a common assumption about the relationship between people and their environments. The ordinary view holds that circumstances shape who we are and what we can become, making us products of our time, place, and condition. Disraeli pushes back: he argues that human will and character are the active force, and that circumstances are largely what people make of them. It is a declaration of human agency, insisting that we are authors of our situation far more than we are its subjects.
Context
This line appears in Vivian Grey, a novel Disraeli published in 1826 when he was in his early twenties. The book follows an ambitious young man navigating the world of politics and society, and it reflects Disraeli's own fierce ambition and belief in self-determination. The novel attracted attention and some controversy upon its publication. Its themes of social climbing, wit, and the power of personality over circumstance foreshadow both Disraeli's literary career and his remarkable rise in British political life.
About the author
Benjamin Disraeli was a British statesman and novelist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice during the nineteenth century. He began his career as a writer, producing several novels before entering Parliament. As a politician he was known for his oratory, his wit, and his skill at navigating the complex landscape of Victorian party politics. He was a leading figure of the Conservative Party and remains one of the most colorful and consequential figures in British political history.
Up next
“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”
Plutarch · Moralia, c. 100 AD
“The most important thing about a person is always the thing you don't know.”
Barbara Kingsolver · The Lacuna, 2009
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”
Friedrich Nietzsche · Twilight of the Idols, 1889
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
William Shakespeare · Julius Caesar, c. 1599
“Even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.”
Charlie (narrator) · The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 1999
“Not everyone has a sob story, Charlie, and even if they do, it's no excuse.”
Bill (speaking to Charlie) · The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 1999
“I would die for you. But I won't live for you.”
Bill (speaking to Charlie) · The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 1999
“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.”
Charlie (narrator) · The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 1999
“Things change. And friends leave. And life doesn't stop for anybody.”
Charlie (narrator) · The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 1999
“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”
Charlie (narrator) · The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 1999
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
Bill (speaking to Charlie) · The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky, 1999
