All Samuel Johnson Quotes
- There is nothing, Sir, too little for so little a creature as man. It is by studying little things that we attain the great art… Art
- By taking a second wife he pays the highest compliment to the first, by showing that she made him so happy as a married man,… Compliment
- Every man who attacks my belief, diminishes in some degree my confidence in it, and therefore makes me uneasy; and I am angry with him… Angry
- Depend upon it that if a man talks of his misfortunes there is something in them that is not disagreeable to him; for where there… Any
- To be idle and to be poor have always been reproaches, and therefore every man endeavors with his utmost care to hide his poverty from… Been
- It is dangerous for mortal beauty, or terrestrial virtue, to be examined by too strong a light. The torch of Truth shows much that we… All
- Surely a long life must be somewhat tedious, since we are forced to call in so many trifling things to help rid us of our… Boredom
- There are few things that we so unwillingly give up, even in advanced age, as the supposition that we still have the power of ingratiating… Advanced
- To get a name can happen but to few; it is one of the few things that cannot be brought. It is the free gift… Bestowed
- We are long before we are convinced that happiness is never to be found, and each believes it possessed by others, to keep alive the… Alive
- What makes all doctrines plain and clear? About two hundred pounds a year. And that which was proved true before, prove false again? Two hundred… All
- Our minds, like our bodies, are in continual flux; something is hourly lost, and something acquired.... Do not suffer life to stagnate; it will grow… Acquired
- I would rather be attacked than unnoticed. For the worst thing you can do to an author is to be silent as to his works. Apathy
- It is necessary to hope... for hope itself is happiness. Funny
- We never do anything consciously for the last time without sadness of heart. Anything Consciously
- Of the blessings set before you make your choice, and be content. No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is delighting his… Autumn
- No weakness of the human mind has more frequently incurred animadversion, than the negligence with which men overlook their own faults, however flagrant, and the… Double Standard
- In a man’s letters his soul lies naked. Letters
- The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it. Best
- A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it. Begins
- I do not care to speak ill of a man behind his back, but I believe he is an attorney. Attorney
- You raise your voice when you should reinforce your argument. Argument
- Don't, Sir, accustom yourself to use big words for little matters. Accustom
- Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than… Acquire
- [C]ourage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other. All