阿尔弗雷德在几个方面都是中世纪早期国王中的杰出人物。他是一位特别狡猾的军事指挥官，成功地阻止了丹麦人，当他的王国的敌人被其他地方占领时，他明智地加强了防御。当英格兰只是一个战国的集合体时，他与包括威尔士在内的邻国建立了外交关系，并统一了赫普塔希的大部分领土。他表现出非凡的行政才能，重组军队，颁布重要法律，保护弱者，促进学习。但最不寻常的是，他是一位天才学者。阿尔弗雷德大帝将几部拉丁文作品翻译成他自己的语言盎格鲁-撒克逊语，我们称之为古英语，并写了一些他自己的作品。在他的翻译中，他有时会插入一些评论，这些评论不仅能洞察书籍，还能洞察自己的思想。

这里有一些著名的英国国王阿尔弗雷德大帝的名言。

I desired to live worthily as long as I lived and to leave after my life, to the men who should come after me, the memory of me in good works.

从波伊修斯的哲学安慰谈起

Remember what punishments befell us in this world when we ourselves did not cherish learning nor transmit it to other men.

来自教皇格雷戈里大帝的牧师关怀

Therefore he seems to me a very foolish man, and very wretched, who will not increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear.

摘自《花朵》（又名选集）

Very often it has come to my mind what men of learning there were formerly throughout England, both in religious and secular orders; and how there were happy times then throughout England; and how the kings, who had authority over this people, obeyed God and his messengers; and how they not only maintained their peace, morality, and authority at home but also extended their territory outside; and how they succeeded both in warfare and in wisdom; and also how eager were the religious orders both in teaching and in learning as well as in all the holy services which it was their duty to perform for God; and how people from abroad sought wisdom and instruction in this country; and how nowadays, if we wished to acquire these things, we would have to seek them outside.

从《牧民关怀》序言

When I recalled how knowledge of Latin had previously decayed throughout England, and yet many could still read things written in English, I then began, amidst the various and multifarious afflictions of this kingdom, to translate into English the book which in Latin is called Pastoralis, in English "Shepherd-book", sometimes word for word, sometimes sense for sense.

从《牧民关怀》序言

For in prosperity a man is often puffed up with pride, whereas tribulations chasten and humble him through suffering and sorrow. In the midst of prosperity the mind is elated, and in prosperity a man forgets himself; in hardship, he is forced to reflect on himself, even though he be unwilling. In prosperity a man often destroys the good he has done; amidst difficulties, he often repairs what he long since did in the way of wickedness.

―归因于。

近几年来，阿尔弗雷德著作的真实性受到了质疑。他真的把拉丁语翻译成古英语了吗？他自己写了什么东西吗？查看Jonathan Jarrett的博客文章《阿尔弗雷德国王非智力化》中的论点。