William Makepeace Thackeray was a 19th century writer and poet known particularly for his satirical works of the time. He was born on the 18th of July in 1811 and died on Christmas Eve in 1863 after suffering a stroke aged just 52.
He was best known for his work Vanity Fair which follows the lives of Becky Sharp and Emmy Sedley during and after the Napoleonic Wars. Thackeray worked often under a pseudonym as his work attacked the rich and powerful, and satirised early 19th-century British society.
His work is considered second only to Charles Dickens (depending on who you ask), and like Dickens his way with words is thought-provoking and full of wit.
Here are 15 of our favourite quotes taken from his many pieces of work…