Benjamin Jowett to Lady Sherbrooke (4 January 1888), quoted in Letters of Benjamin Jowett, M.A. Master of Balliol College, Oxford, eds. Evelyn Abbott and Lewis Campbell (1899), p. 223
“
Mat. Arnold is a great loss to me. He was one of my firmest and dearest and best friends. Every year I had a higher opinion of him. No one ever united so much kindness and lightheartedness with so much strength. He was the most sensible man of genius whom I have ever known and the most free from personality, and his mind was very far from being exhausted.
— Benjamin Jowett on Matthew Arnold
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Mat. Arnold is a great loss to me. He was one of my firmest and dearest and best friends. Every year I had a higher opinion of him. No one ever united so much kindness and lightheartedness with so much strength. He was the most sensible man of genius whom I have ever known and the most free from personality, and his mind was very far from being exhausted." in the context of "Benjamin Jowett to Lady Sherbrooke (4 January 1888), quoted in Letters of Benjamin Jowett, M.A. Master of Balliol College, Oxford, eds. Evelyn Abbott and Lewis Campbell (1899), p. 223" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Matthew Arnold" (Quotes about Arnold)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Benjamin Jowett
Benjamin Jowett (15 April 1817 – 1 October 1893) was a theologian and classical scholar who became one of the great public figures of Victorian England. He was Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford from 1855, Master of Balliol College, Oxford from 1870, and Vice-Chancellor of the university from 1882.
About Benjamin Jowett
Benjamin Jowett (15 April 1817 – 1 October 1893) was a theologian and classical scholar who became one of the great public figures of Victorian England. He was Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford from 1855, Master of Balliol College, Oxford from 1870, and Vice-Chancellor of the university from 1882.
View all quotes →