Its no secret that i love london. The mix of people, architecture, the creativity, and this is also the birth place of my accessories brand Goodordering. I thought i would see what other people, namely authors have had to say about london over the years, from more recent quotes to quotes dating hundreds of years ago, here are some of my literature based research about what some of my favourite authors say about London.
London has been known as the Big Smoke since at least the 19th century, when its skyline was regularly obscured by clouds of coal smoke from thousands of domestic fires and industrial chimneys. Originally a rather unflattering description of the city's pollution, the nickname has stuck around long after the smoke has cleared. Today, it is used affectionately (and sometimes sarcastically) to describe London and, more generally, the experience of living in a big city.
For a source, the London Museum's history of the Big Smoke is particularly good if you want to explore this further.
London has inspired writers, poets, playwrights and storytellers for centuries. It's been described as a magnificent playground, a modern Babylon, a fog-filled maze, a city of opportunity and, occasionally, an absolute rip-off. From Charles Dickens' atmospheric descriptions of Victorian streets to Virginia Woolf's observations of everyday encounters, writers have found endless inspiration in the capital.
Perhaps it's because London is so many different things to so many different people. It's a city of contradictions: old and new, grand and gritty, familiar and constantly changing. You can walk the same street every day and still discover something you've never noticed before.
Some writers have fallen completely in love with it, others have been rather less complimentary. But whether it's the romance, the eccentric characters, the crowded streets or the sheer expense of being here, London has certainly given literature plenty to talk about.
Here are some of our favourite famous quotes, literary references and observations about London.
The love affair with London
"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson, quoted in The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell (1791)
Possibly the most famous declaration of love for London. Samuel Johnson was convinced that the city offered everything an intellectually curious person could want. Nearly 250 years later, it's still a pretty good argument for staying in the capital.
"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show."
— Samuel Johnson, quoted by James Boswell
Another of Johnson's observations, suggesting that London itself is a miniature version of the wider world.
"London is a roost for every bird."
— Benjamin Disraeli
A lovely way of describing London's ability to accommodate all sorts of people, personalities and peculiarities.
"I've been walking about London for the last 30 years, and I find something fresh in it every day."
— Walter Besant
A sentiment that still rings true. There is always another street, shop, hidden garden or interesting corner to discover.
The slightly less romantic side of London
"I had been in London innumerable times, and yet till that day I had never noticed one of the worst things about London – the fact that it costs money even to sit down."
— George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London (1933)
Orwell's observation comes from his account of poverty and homelessness in London. It's a brilliant example of how the city can look completely different depending on your circumstances. It also feels surprisingly relevant today.
"Nothing is certain in London but expense."
— William Shenstone
A short but painfully accurate observation that could easily be printed on a London souvenir.
"A person who is tired of London is not necessarily tired of life; it might be that he just can't find a parking place."
— Paul Theroux
A humorous twist on Samuel Johnson's famous words, and perhaps a more realistic assessment for anyone attempting to drive around the capital.
"London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained."
— Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet (1887)
Not exactly a glowing review! These are the words of Dr Watson, describing his arrival in London at the beginning of the first Sherlock Holmes novel.
The streets, the people and the everyday magic
"The streets of London have their map, but our passions are uncharted. What are you going to meet if you turn this corner?"
— Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room (1922)
One of my favourite descriptions of London. It's a reminder that a city isn't just its buildings and streets, but all the unexpected encounters and experiences that happen along the way.
"London; a nation, not a city."
— Benjamin Disraeli
London often feels like its own little world, with different neighbourhoods, communities and cultures existing side by side.
"In London everyone is different, and that means anyone can fit in."
— Paddington Bear
A rather lovely modern observation from one of London's most recognisable fictional residents.
"The man who can dominate a London dinner-table can dominate the world."
— Oscar Wilde
Wilde's wit was perfectly suited to London society, with its dinner parties, gossip, social climbing and endless conversations.
Fog, mystery and the darker side of the capital
"Fog everywhere."
— Charles Dickens, Bleak House (1852–53)
Two words that have become almost synonymous with Dickensian London. The opening of Bleak House paints a wonderfully atmospheric picture of a city swallowed by fog, mud and pollution.
"The higher the buildings the lower the morals."
— Noël Coward
A wonderfully sharp observation about the changing London skyline and the people who inhabit it.
"London is a modern Babylon."
— Benjamin Disraeli
A reference to the ancient city of Babylon, often associated with excess, diversity, decadence and confusion. Disraeli certainly wasn't short of opinions about the capital.
"Go where we may – rest where we will, eternal London haunts us still."
— Thomas Moore
A romantic little verse suggesting that, wherever you travel, London has a habit of following you around in your imagination.
London as a place of endless possibility
"London goes beyond any boundary or convention. It contains every wish or word ever spoken, every action or gesture ever made, every harsh or noble statement ever expressed. It is illimitable. It is Infinite London."
— Peter Ackroyd
A wonderful description of London's seemingly limitless character. Historian and novelist Peter Ackroyd has spent much of his writing life exploring the layers of history, people and stories that make up the capital.
"The English language is like London: proudly barbaric yet deeply civilised, too common yet royal, vulgar yet processional, sacred yet profane."
— Stephen Fry
A clever comparison between the character of the English language and the contradictions of London itself.
"There are two places in the world where men can most effectively disappear – the city of London and the South Seas."
— Herman Melville
An intriguing observation about the anonymity of a vast city. In London, you can be surrounded by millions of people and still feel completely invisible.
A city that belongs to everyone
Perhaps the best thing about London is that nobody really experiences the same city. A morning commute through the City, a late-night walk through Soho, an afternoon wandering around Columbia Road or a rainy Sunday in a museum can all feel like completely different worlds.
Writers have captured its grand architecture, its crowded pavements, its eccentric inhabitants and its ability to surprise us. But some of the best descriptions of London aren't necessarily the grandest. They're the little observations: the cost of sitting down, the discovery of an unfamiliar street, the characters you encounter on the bus or the feeling that there's always something happening just around the corner.
Maybe Samuel Johnson was right. Or perhaps George Orwell had a point, too. Either way, London continues to give us plenty to write about.
