World Quotes by Samuel Johnson

Every old man complains of the growing depravity of the world, of the petulance and insolence of the rising generation.

— Samuel Johnson

By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.

— Samuel Johnson

Classical quotation is the parole of literary men all over the world.

— Samuel Johnson

Each change of many-colour'd life he drew, Exhausted worlds, and then imagin'd new.

— Samuel Johnson

Much mischief is done in the world with very little interest or design.

— Samuel Johnson

Ah! Sir, a boy's being flogged is not so severe as a man's having the hiss of the world against him.

— Samuel Johnson

He left the name at which the world grew pale, To point a moral, or adorn a tale.

— Samuel Johnson

There is in this world no real delight (excepting those of sensuality), but exchange of ideas in conversation.

— Samuel Johnson

That observation which is called knowledge of the world will be found much more frequently to make men cunning than good.

— Samuel Johnson

Like an image in a dream the world is troubled by love, hatred, and other poisons. So long as the dream lasts,…

— Samuel Johnson

Pointed axioms and acute replies fly loose about the world, and are assigned successively to those whom it may be the fashion…

— Samuel Johnson

In youth, it is common to measure right and wrong by the opinion of the world, and in age, to act without…

— Samuel Johnson

Our minds, like our bodies, are in continual flux; something is hourly lost, and something acquired… Do not suffer life to stagnate;…

— Samuel Johnson

It is not uncommon to charge the difference between promise and performance, between profession and reality, upon deep design and studied deceit;…

— Samuel Johnson

Friendship, peculiar boon of Heaven, The noble mind's delight and pride, To men and angels only given, To all the lower world…

— Samuel Johnson

To revenge reasonable incredulity by refusing evidence, is a degree of insolence with which the world is not yet acquainted; and stubborn…

— Samuel Johnson

Human experience, which is constantly contradicting theory, is the great test of truth. A system, built upon the discoveries of a great…

— Samuel Johnson

Every man is prompted by the love of himself to imagine that he possesses some qualities, superior, either in kind or degree,…

— Samuel Johnson

Every man, however hopeless his pretensions may appear, has some project by which he hopes to rise to reputation; some art by…

— Samuel Johnson

Persius has justly observed, that knowledge is nothing to him who is not known by others to possess it: to the scholar…

— Samuel Johnson

Few of those who fill the world with books, have any pretensions to the hope either of pleasing or instructing. They have…

— Samuel Johnson

When a poet mentions the spring, we know that the zephyrs are about to whisper, that the groves are to recover their…

— Samuel Johnson

Of him that hopes to be forgiven it is indispensably required that he forgive. It is, therefore, superfluous to urge any other…

— Samuel Johnson

Every man is of importance to himself, and, therefore, in his own opinion, to others; and, supposing the world already acquainted with…

— Samuel Johnson

I have often thought that there has rarely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not be useful;…

— Samuel Johnson

As to the Christian religion, besides the strong evidence which we have for it, there is a balance in its favor from…

— Samuel Johnson

It is justly considered as the greatest excellency of art to imitate nature; but it is necessary to distinguish those parts of…

— Samuel Johnson

The power, indeed, of every individual is small, and the consequence of his endeavours imperceptible, in a general prospect of the world.…

— Samuel Johnson

No man is much regarded by the rest of the world. He that considers how little he dwells upon the condition of…

— Samuel Johnson

The whole world is put in motion by the wish for riches and the dread of poverty.

— Samuel Johnson

You cannot, by all the lecturing in the world, enable a man to make a shoe.

— Samuel Johnson

It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentionally lying that there is so much falsehood in the world.

— Samuel Johnson

The world is like a grand staircase, some are going up and some are going down.

— Samuel Johnson

I never have sought the world; the world was not to seek me.

— Samuel Johnson

The wise man applauds he who he thinks most virtuous; the rest of the world applauds the wealthy.

— Samuel Johnson

The world is seldom what it seems; to man, who dimly sees, realities appear as dreams, and dreams realities.

— Samuel Johnson

Youth enters the world with very happy prejudices in her own favour.

— Samuel Johnson

The finest landscape in the world is improved by a good inn in the foreground.

— Samuel Johnson

This world, where much is to be done and little to be known.

— Samuel Johnson

Politics are now nothing more than means of rising in the world.

— Samuel Johnson