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Samuel Smiles
British author (1812–1904) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the English ambient-folk band, see Samuel Smiles (band).
Samuel Smiles (23 December 1812 – 16 April 1904) was a British author and government reformer. Although he campaigned on a Chartist platform, he promoted the idea that more progress would come from new attitudes than from new laws. His primary work, Self-Help (1859), promoted thrift and claimed that poverty was caused largely by irresponsible habits, while also attacking materialism and laissez-faire government. It has been called "the bible of mid-Victorian liberalism" and had lasting effects on British political thought.
Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Samuel Smiles | |
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![]() Portrait by Sir George Reid, 1877 | |
Born | 23 December 1812 Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland |
Died | 16 April 1904 (age 91) Kensington, London, England |
Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
Known for | Biographies and self-help books |
Notable work | Self-Help |
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