Daniel Defoe Quotes

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

Pleasure is a thief to business.

A very fine city; the four principal streets are the fairest for breadth, and the finest built that I have ever seen in one city together… In a word, ’tis the cleanest and beautifullest, and best built city in Britain, London excepted.

Here is a pleasant situation, and yet nothing pleasant to be seen. Here is a harbour without ships, a port without trade, a fishery without nets, a people without business; and, that which is worse than all, they do not seem to desire business, much less do they understand it.

Manchester, one of the greatest, if not really the greatest mere village in England.

It happened one day, about noon, going towards my boat, I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a man’s naked foot on the shore, which was very plain to be seen in the sand. I stood like one thunderstruck, or as if I had seen an apparition.