Daniel Defoe

Daniel Defoe – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Dive deep into the life of Daniel Defoe (c. 1660–1731), the English journalist, pamphleteer, and pioneer novelist. Explore his early life, political activism, literary innovations, and enduring influence.

Introduction: Who Was Daniel Defoe?

Daniel Defoe (born Daniel Foe, c. 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an extraordinarily prolific English writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy. He is most famous for his novels Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders, but his output ranged across political tracts, journalism, social commentary, and economic writing.

Often regarded as one of the earliest practitioners of the English novel, Defoe’s writings blurred the lines between fact and fiction, reportage and storytelling, making him a foundational figure in both journalism and modern narrative.

Early Life and Background

• Daniel Foe was born around 1660 in London, likely in the parish of St Giles, Cripplegate (Fore Street). The exact date is uncertain; some sources suggest late 1659 or early 1660.

• His father, James Foe, was a tallow chandler (and possibly butcher) of Flemish descent; he was relatively prosperous locally. His mother died when he was young.

• Because his family were Nonconformists (Dissenters) — i.e. not part of the Church of England — he could not attend Oxford or Cambridge. Instead, he attended a dissenting academy in Newington Green under the tutelage of the Reverend Charles Morton.

• In his youth, London endured the Great Plague (1665) and the Great Fire (1666); Defoe later incorporated these events into his writings (most notably A Journal of the Plague Year).

Career & Public Life

Business, Failures & Debt

Defoe tried his hand at commerce early in life: he traded in goods such as hosiery, woollens, wine, and general merchandise. However, his ventures frequently ended in financial complications. He was imprisoned for debt multiple times.

At one point, he declared bankruptcy and was forced to manage manufacturing enterprises in tiles and bricks.

Political Engagement, Pamphleteering & Journalism

Defoe was deeply involved in politics and the pamphlet press:

• In 1697, he published An Essay Upon Projects, outlining proposals for social improvement (e.g. insurance, pensions, improvement of trade).

• He also wrote The True-Born Englishman in 1701, a satirical defense of King William III against xenophobic attacks.

• His satirical pamphlet The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters (1702) caused great controversy. In it, he pretended to argue for extreme measures against Dissenters, but it was taken seriously by authorities. He was prosecuted for seditious libel, fined, placed in the pillory, and spent time in prison.

• Legend holds that when he stood in the pillory, the crowd threw flowers rather than stones in recognition of the wit of the pamphlet (though some scholars treat this as myth).

• After his release, he became more closely involved with government, serving as a secret agent, intelligence operator, and propagandist.

• In 1704, he founded A Review of the Affairs of France, a political periodical published three times a week, which he maintained (and wrote under) until around 1713.

• He was involved in debates over the 1707 Acts of Union between England and Scotland, and operated in a kind of propagandistic role to influence Scottish opinion in favor of union.

Literary Works & Innovation

While Defoe is widely known for his fiction, his range was vast:

• In 1719 he published The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. It became immensely popular and is often considered a progenitor of the English novel.

• In 1722, he published Moll Flanders, Colonel Jack, and A Journal of the Plague Year.

• A Journal of the Plague Year is written in the style of an eyewitness account, though Defoe was only a child during the 1665 plague. It blurs fact and fiction, and is often studied as an early example of realistic historical fiction or pseudohistory.

• Beyond fiction, he wrote on economics, trade, social conduct, travel, and religion. Works include The Complete English Tradesman, The Family Instructor, The Political History of the Devil, and A Tour thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain.

• He often used many pseudonyms; it is estimated that he wrote under dozens (some counts say nearly 200).

Style, Themes & Influence

Realism & Detail

Defoe’s hallmark is the detailed, documentary style: weather, geography, business transactions, daily life, and economic exchange are often rendered with care. This lent his fiction an aura of verisimilitude.

Morality & Providence

Many of his fictional protagonists wrestle with moral issues, repentance, providence, and human agency. Crusoe especially is often read as a spiritual journey as well as an adventure.

Commerce & Trade

As someone deeply invested in mercantile life, Defoe celebrated trade, entrepreneurship, and the moral worth of the tradesman class. In The Complete English Tradesman, he argued for the dignity and importance of commerce in national prosperity.

Political Commentary & Propaganda

Defoe’s skills as a pamphleteer, polemicist, and political writer allowed him to play active roles in the ideological battles of his day. His journalism helped shape public opinion on war, union, religion, and governance.

Legacy for the Novel & Journalism

• Defoe is often seen as one of the founding fathers of the English novel.

• His blending of reportage, personal account, travel narrative, and fiction influenced later realistic novelists.

• In journalism, his periodicals and pamphlets contributed to the development of periodical literature and political journalism.

Personality & Character

Defoe was many-sided and complex:

• He had a restless energy—shifting from commerce to journalism to secret service and literary work.

• He was pragmatic in alliances: he worked with both Tory and Whig governments when expedient.

• He often found himself in debt, and faced legal and financial peril.

• He was bold and somewhat audacious, as seen in his pamphlet provocations (like The Shortest-Way) and in his ghost-writing / secret service roles.

• His willingness to blur boundaries—fact and fiction, public and private, author and narrator—suggests a flexible, adventurous mind.

Famous Quotes & Excerpts

Because Defoe wrote in many genres, some of his “quotes” are better known as lines or aphorisms rather than isolated maxims. Here are a few:

“An estate’s a pond, but a trade’s a spring.”
(from The Complete English Tradesman)

“To make a constitution is good; to enforce it is better.”

“Hell is never filled by those who leave things to tomorrow.”

“He that lives upon hope will die fasting.”

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”

These lines reflect Defoe’s emphasis on commerce, urgency, moral accountability, and realism.

Lessons from Daniel Defoe

1. The power of versatility. Defoe did not confine himself to one domain. His ability to move among trade, pamphleteering, journalism, and fiction shows that creative life need not be narrowly defined.

2. Mix fact and story wisely. His technique of weaving narrative with documentary detail influenced much modern writing; it teaches us how storytelling can be grounded without losing imagination.

3. Voice matters in public debate. His pamphlets—sharp, provocative, satirical—show how a strong writer can shape public discourse.

4. Persistence despite adversity. Defoe’s many financial troubles, political dangers, and legal punishments did not stop him from producing vast quantities of work.

5. Human stories are timeless. His themes—survival, identity, moral struggle, commerce, isolation—still resonate in modern novels and journalism.

Conclusion

Daniel Defoe was a towering figure whose career straddled journalism, propaganda, commerce, and the birth of the novel. His Robinson Crusoe remains a classic in world literature, but his lesser-known works, political pamphlets, and innovations in periodical writing have also left enduring traces.