"After we came out of the church, we……" — James Boswell
"After we came out of the church, we stood talking for some time together of Bishop Berkeley's ingenious sophistry to prove the non-existence of matter, and that every thing in the universe is merely ideal. I observed, that though we are satisfied his doctrine is not true, it is impossible to refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it, "I refute it thus.""
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James Boswell
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56 Quotes by James Boswell
James Boswell has 56 quotes on this site.
A few more worth reading:
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A page of my journal is like a cake of portable soup. A little may be diffused into a considerable…
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I, who have no sisters or brothers, look with some degree of innocent envy on those who may be said…
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If a man who is born to a fortune cannot make himself easier and freer than those who are not,…
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When a man is familiar with many people he must expect many disagreeable familiarizations.
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A woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hinter legs. It is not done well; but you are…
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What a curious creature is man; with what a variety of powers and faculties is he endued; yet how easily…
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The scent of Sloth tempts a smug man.
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Dr. Johnson ... sometimes employed himself in chymistry, sometimes in watering and pruning a vine, and sometimes in small experiments,…
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Buffon, who, with all his theoretical ingenuity and extraordinary eloquence, I suspect had little actual information in the science on…
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We often observe in lawyers, who as Quicquid agunt homines is the matter of law suits, are sometimes obliged to…
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No, Sir, claret is the liquor for boys; port for men: but he who aspires to be a hero must…
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Wine makes a man better pleased with himself. I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others.…
See all 56 quotes by James Boswell »
More Alacrity Quotes
This quote is filed under Alacrity Quotes,
one of 12 quotes in that category. Here are a few more:
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Atheists put on false courage and alacrity in the midst of their darkness and apprehensions, like children who, when they…
— Alexander Pope
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By multiplying the means of gratification, by promoting the introduction and circulation of the precious metals, those darling objects of…
— Alexander Hamilton
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A beaver does not, as legend would have it, know which direction the tree will fall when he cuts it,…
— Ann Zwinger
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If, sir, men were all virtuous, I should with great alacrity teach them all to fly. But what would be…
— Samuel Johnson
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Novelty is indeed necessary to preserve eagerness and alacrity; but art and nature have stores inexhaustible by human intellects, and…
— Samuel Johnson
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I was also surprised by the alacrity and dedication we devote to the damaging exercise of remembering, which after all…
— Juan Gabriel
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The poems in Helena Mesa’s virtuosic first book, Horse Dance Underwater, run with such speed, verve, and alacrity they leave…
— Michael Collier
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... Don [Hewitt, 60 Minutes exec producer] told me, "You have set broadcast journalism back 20 years." Naturally, I was…
— Nicholas von Hoffman
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Give me a bowl of wine. I have not that alacrity of spirit Nor cheer of mind that I was…
— William Shakespeare
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Government never furthered any enterprise but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way.
— Henry David Thoreau
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It should be done with the same degree of alacrity and nonchalance that you would display in authorizing a highly…
— Daniel Greenberg
See all 12 Alacrity Quotes »
