All Samuel Johnson Quotes
- Every reader should remember the diffidence of Socrates, and repair by his candour the injuries of time: he should impute the seeming defects of his… Author
- Language is the dress of thought; and as the noblest mien or most graceful action would be degraded and obscured by a garb appropriated to… Action
- I should as soon think of contradicting a bishop Bishop
- To fix the thoughts by writing, and subject them to frequent examinations and reviews, is the best method of enabling the mind to detect its… Best
- I respect Millar: he has raised the price of literature Inspirational
- Cruel with guilt, and daring with despair, the midnight murderer bursts the faithless bar; invades the sacred hour of silent rest and leaves, unseen, a… Bar
- Justice is indispensably and universally necessary, and what is necessary must always be limited, uniform, and distinct Distinct
- A coxcomb is ugly all over with the effectation of a fine gentleman. All
- From ignorance our comfort flows, the only wretched are the wise Comfort
- A patriot is he whose public conduct is regulated by one single motive, the love of his country; who, as an agent in parliament, has,… Agent
- How can children credit the assertions of parents, which their own eyes show them to be false? Few parents act in such a manner as… Act
- A vow is a snare for sin Inspirational
- A man used to vicissitudes is not easily dejected. Dejected
- The friendship which is to be practised or expected by common mortals, must take its rise from mutual pleasure, and must end when the power… Ceases
- I hope I shall never be deterred from detecting what I think a cheat, by the menaces of a ruffian. Cheat
- Nothing is difficult, when gain and honour unite their influence. Difficult
- There is no temper more unpropitious to interest than desultory application and unlimited inquiry, by which the desires are held in a perpetual equipoise, and… Application
- He to whom many objects of pursuit arise at the same time, will frequently hesitate between different desires till a rival has precluded him, or… Advancing
- They whose activity of imagination is often shifting the scenes of expectation, are frequently subject to such sallies of caprice as make all their actions… Action
- The eye of the mind, like that of the body, can only extend its view to new objects, by losing sight of those which are… Body
- In most ages many countries have had part of their inhabitants in a state of slavery; yet it may be doubted whether slavery can ever… Age
- Love has no great influences upon the sum of life. Great
- By the consultation of books, whether of dead or living authors, many temptations of petulance and opposition, which occur in oral conferences, are avoided. An… Advice
- The purpose of a writer is to be read, and the criticism which would destroy the power of pleasing must be blown aside Aside
- Some read for style, and some for argument: one has little care about the sentiment, he observes only how it is expressed; another regards not… Architect