--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The parallel circumstances and kindred…" description: "\"The parallel circumstances and kindred images to which we readily conform our minds are, above all other writings, to be found in the lives of particul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/samuel-johnson-50_biographies_the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-i_3194567.png" --- # The parallel circumstances and kindred images to which we… ![“The parallel circumstances and kindred images to which we readily conform our minds are, above all other writings, to be found in the lives of particular persons, and therefore no species of writing seems more worthy of cultivation than biography.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/samuel-johnson-50_biographies_the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-i_3194567.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/samuel-johnson-50_biographies_the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-i_3194567.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/samuel-johnson-50_biographies_the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-i_3194567.png) > “The parallel circumstances and kindred images to which we readily conform our minds are, above all other writings, to be found in the lives of particular persons, and therefore no species of writing seems more worthy of cultivation than biography.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Biography is the most valuable writing because it reflects real lives. **In simple terms:** Biographies teach us through real examples. Key Takeaway Read biographies to learn from others. Themes education history human nature Mood analytical curious Type educational critical When to use this quote - school curricula - personal development - leadership training Key Concepts biography literature psychology Questions to Reflect On - Whose stories are we missing? - How does bias affect our lessons? A Different Perspective Biographies can be biased or incomplete. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biographies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Circumstances Kindred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances-kindred-5906131/) [Conform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conform/) [Cultivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivation/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Kindred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindred/) [Lives Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-particular-5906128/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Parallel Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parallel-circumstances-5906130/) [Parallels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parallels/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Worthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthy/) [Worthy Cultivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthy-cultivation-5906129/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writings Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writings-lives-5906127/) ## Related quotes > [Where did you find that one?" "I have no idea. I'm a magnet for crazies, I guess." "They must be able to sense a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/where-did-you-find-that-one-i-have-no-idea-i-m-a-magnet-for-crazies-i/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [He was like me - a kindred spirit crazy enough to keep on trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/he-was-like-me-a-kindred-spirit-crazy-enough-to-keep-on-trying/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [Mountains interposed Make enemies of nations, who had else Like kindred drops been mingled into one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/mountains-interposed-make-enemies-of-nations-who-had-else-like/) [William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/) > [I feel a reassuring oneness with other people when I find that even my most intimate, anguished, socially inadmissible emotions and desires are known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yi-fu-tuan/i-feel-a-reassuring-oneness-with-other-people-when-i-find-that-even/) [Yi-Fu Tuan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yi-fu-tuan/) > [The mystery which underlies the beauty of women is never raised above the reach of all expression until it has claimed kindred with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/the-mystery-which-underlies-the-beauty-of-women-is-never-raised-above/) [Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/) > [The laughter in his deep-set black eyes, the feverish heat of his big hand around mine, the flash of his white teeth against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/the-laughter-in-his-deep-set-black-eyes-the-feverish-heat-of-his-big/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/kindred-spirits-are-not-so-scarce-as-i-used-to-think-it-s-splendid-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is in stillness oft a magic power To calm the breast when struggling passions lower, Touched by its influence, in the soul arise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-newman/there-is-in-stillness-oft-a-magic-power-to-calm-the-breast-when/) [John Henry Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-newman/) > [Conservatives and liberals are kindred spirits as far as government spending is concerned. First, let's make sure we understand what government spending is. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/conservatives-and-liberals-are-kindred-spirits-as-far-as-government/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [In a pure society, the subject of marriage would not be so often avoided,--from shame and not from reverence, winked out of sight,and hinted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-a-pure-society-the-subject-of-marriage-would-not-be-so-often/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingalls-wilder/our-hearts-grow-tender-with-childhood-memories-and-love-of-kindred/) [Laura Ingalls Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingalls-wilder/) > [The greater the kindred is, the lesse the kindnesse must bee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lyly/the-greater-the-kindred-is-the-lesse-the-kindnesse-must-bee/) [John Lyly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lyly/) > [The woman who first gives life, light, and form to our shadowy conceptions of beauty, fills a void in our spiritual nature that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/the-woman-who-first-gives-life-light-and-form-to-our-shadowy/) [Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/) > [Every philosophy is complete in itself and, like a genuine work of art, contains the totality. Just as the works of Apelles and Sophocles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/every-philosophy-is-complete-in-itself-and-like-a-genuine-work-of-art/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Even so; an't please your worship, Brakenbury, You may partake of any thing we say: We speak no treason, man; we say the King…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/even-so-an-t-please-your-worship-brakenbury-you-may-partake-of-any/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Biographies quotes > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/) [Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/) > [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/) [Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/) > [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I don't want to say that most rock bands live these formulaic biography existences - but they kinda do. There's always a divorce. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-don-t-want-to-say-that-most-rock-bands-live-these-formulaic/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [It can be a long gap between the emergence of fully researched historical biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-fraser/it-can-be-a-long-gap-between-the-emergence-of-fully-researched/) [Antonia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-fraser/) > [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) [Browse all 587 Biographies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biographies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The parallel circumstances and kindred images to which we readily conform our minds are, above all other writings, to be found in the lives of particular persons, and therefore no species of writing seems more worthy of cultivation than biography.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-images-to-which-we-readily/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biographies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-images-to-which-we-readily/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/samuel-johnson-50_biographies_the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-i_3194567.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/samuel-johnson-50_biographies_the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-i_3194567.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/samuel-johnson-50_biographies_the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-i_3194567.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The parallel circumstances and kindred images to which we readily conform our minds are, above all other…” — Samuel Johnson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The parallel circumstances and kindred images...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-images-to-which-we-readily/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-parallel-circumstances-and-kindred-images-to-which-we-readily/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```