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Jonathan Swift Quotes

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Jonathan Swift, born on November 30, 1667, and died on October 19, 1745, was an Irish writer, satirist, and politician, renowned for his satirical works.

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Famous Jonathan Swift Quotes

“Conversation is but carving! Give no more to every guest Than he's able to digest.”

Giving Able Conversation Guests Carving

Book:The works of Jonathan Swift ...: with copious notes and additions, and a memoir of the author

Source: The works of Jonathan Swift ...: with copious notes and additions, and a memoir of the author

“I'll give you leave to call me anything, if you don't call me spade.”

Ifs Giving Names Call Me Spades

Book:The works of Jonathan Swift, D.D.: with copious notes and additions and a memoir of the author

Source: The works of Jonathan Swift, D.D.: with copious notes and additions and a memoir of the author

“It is very unfair in any writer to employ ignorance and malice together, because it gives his answerer double work.”

Giving Together Ignorance Unfair Controversy Malice

Author:Jonathan Swift

“Patience alleviates, as impatience augments, pain; thus persons of strong will suffer less than those who give way to irritation.”

Way Giving Persons Pain Suffering Strong Impatience Irritation Alleviate Strong Will

Author:Jonathan Swift

“There is no talent so useful toward rising in the world, or which puts men more out of the reach of fortune, than that quality generally possessed by the dullest sort of men, and in common speech called discretion; a species of lower prudence, by the assistance of which, people of the meanest intellectuals, without any other qualification, pass through the world in great tranquillity, and with universal good treatment, neither giving nor taking offence.”

Source: The Works of Jonathan Swift ...: Containing Interesting and Valuable Papers, Not Hitherto Published ... With Memoir of the Author

“With a whirl of thought oppressed I sink from reverie to rest. An horrid vision seized my head, I saw the graves give up their dead.”

Thinking Giving Vision Saws Giving Up Graves Thoughtful Oppressed Reverie

Book:The selected poems

Source: The selected poems

“Careful observers may foretell the hour (By sure prognostics) when to dread a show'r. While rain depends, the pensive cat gives o'er Her frolics, and pursues her tail no more.”

Giving May Shows Hours Depends Rain Cat Careful Pursue Observation Dread Tails Observers Pensive

Book:Jonathan Swift

Source: Jonathan Swift

“Whatever the poets pretend, it is plain they give immortality to none but themselves; it is Homer and Virgil we reverence and admire, not Achilles or Aeneas. With historians it is quite the contrary; our thoughts are taken up with the actions, persons, and events we read, and we little regard the authors.”

Giving Littles Persons Action Taken Events Poet Regard Contrary Admire Immortality Historian Reverence Our Thoughts Achilles Aeneas

Book:The Battle of the Books: And Other Works, Including 'A Modest Proposal'

Source: The Battle of the Books: And Other Works, Including 'A Modest Proposal'

“Physicians ought not to give their judgment of religion, for the same reason that butchers are not admitted to be jurors upon life and death.”

Giving Reason Ought Judgment Life And Death Physicians Butchers Jurors

Author:Jonathan Swift

“No preacher is listened to but time, which gives us the same train and turn of thought that elder people have in vain tried to put into our heads before.”

People Giving Time Turns Eternity Train Vain Preacher Elders

Book:The Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin: Accurately Revised in Six Volumes, Adorned with Copper-plates : with Some Account of the Author's Life and Notes Historical and Explanatory

Source: The Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin: Accurately Revised in Six Volumes, Adorned with Copper-plates : with Some Account of the Author's Life and Notes Historical and Explanatory

“All Pretences of foretelling by Astrology, are Deceits; for this manifest Reason, because the Wise and Learned, who can only judge whether there be any Truth in this Science, do all unanimously agree to laugh at and despise it; and none but the poor ignorant Vulgar give it any Credit.”

Giving Reason Science Poor Laughing Wise Judging Accounts Agree Credit Ignorant Deceit Manifest Despise Vulgar Astrology Pretence Foretelling

Book:The Works of Dr. Jonathan Swift: Accurately Revised in Twelve Volumes, Adorned with Copper-plates, with Some Account of the Author's Life, and Notes Historical and Explanatory

Source: The Works of Dr. Jonathan Swift: Accurately Revised in Twelve Volumes, Adorned with Copper-plates, with Some Account of the Author's Life, and Notes Historical and Explanatory

“If a lump of soot falls into the soup and you cannot conveniently get it out, stir it well in and it will give the soup a French taste.”

Ifs Giving Wells Fall Taste Cooking Soup Lumps

Book:The works of Jonathan Swift, D.D.: with copious notes and additions and a memoir of the author

Source: The works of Jonathan Swift, D.D.: with copious notes and additions and a memoir of the author

“Your notions of friendship are new to me; I believe every man is born with his quantum, and he cannot give to one without robbing another. I very well know to whom I would give the first place in my friendship, but they are not in the way, I am condemned to another scene, and therefore I distribute it in pennyworths to those about me, and who displease me least, and should do the same to my fellow prisoners if I were condemned to a jail.”

Source: The works of Jonathan Swift, D.D.: with copious notes and additions and a memoir of the author