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Samuel Johnson Quotes

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Samuel Johnson was an English writer, poet, and lexicographer, renowned for his comprehensive English dictionary, 'A Dictionary of the English Language', published in 1755. His distinctive writing style and wit have cemented his place as a significant figure in the history of English literature.

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All Men May Mind Writing Ifs Pleasure Should Littles World Thinking Humans Knows Virtue Firsts Book Every Man Desire Happiness Reason Wish

Famous Samuel Johnson Quotes

“Novelty is indeed necessary to preserve eagerness and alacrity; but art and nature have stores inexhaustible by human intellects, and every moment produces something new to him who has quickened his faculties by diligent observation.”

Life Humans Art Moments Produce Intellect Stores Observation Preserves Something New Faculty Novelty Diligent Eagerness Alacrity

Book:The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: With an Essay on His Life and Genius /c by Arthur Murphy, Esq

Source: The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: With an Essay on His Life and Genius /c by Arthur Murphy, Esq

“Falsehoods of convenience or vanity, falsehoods from which no evil immediately visible ensues, except the general degradation of human testimony, are very lightly uttered, and once uttered are sullenly supported.”

Humans Evil Vanity Visible Deceit Falsehood Testimony Convenience Degradation

Book:The Lives of the Poets: A Selection

Source: The Lives of the Poets: A Selection

“That eminence of learning is not to be gained without labour, at least equal to that which any other kind of greatness can require, will be allowed by those who wish to elevate the character of a scholar; since they cannot but know that every human acquisition is valuable in proportion to the difficulty of its attainment.”

Knows Humans Kind Character Wish Effort Greatness Equal Difficulty Valuable Proportion Labour Scholar Attainment Acquisition Eminence

Book:The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: With An Essay on His Life and Genius

Source: The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: With An Essay on His Life and Genius

“To strive with difficulties, and to conquer them, is the highest human felicity; the next is, to strive, and deserve to conquer: but he whose life has passed without a contest, and who can boast neither success nor merit, can survey himself only as a useless filler of existence; ad if he is content with his own character, must owe his satisfaction to insensibility.”

Source: Murphy's essay. The rambler. The adventurer. The idler. Rasselas. Tales of the imagination. Letters. Irene. Miscellaneous poems

“How small of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws or kings can cause or cure! Still to ourselves in every place consigned, Our own felicity we make or find. With secret course, which no loud storms annoy, Glides the smooth current of domestic joy.”

Humans Heart Stills Law Joy Courses Causes Secret Kings Endure Currents Storm Cures Loud Annoying Smooth Human Heart Felicity

Author:Samuel Johnson

“All the performances of human art, at which we look with praise or wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance.”

Humans Looks Art Force Wonder Performances Praise Perseverance Instance

Book:The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: With Murphy's Essay

Source: The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: With Murphy's Essay

“It would add much to human happiness, if an art could be taught of forgetting all of which the remembrance is at once useless and afflictive, that the mind might perform its functions without encumbrance, and the past might no longer encroach upon the present.”

Ifs Mind Humans Art Might Past Memories Forget Taught Function Add Useless Remembrance Human Happiness

Book:Samuel Johnson: Selected Writings

Source: Samuel Johnson: Selected Writings

“An infallible characteristic of meanness is cruelty. Men who have practiced tortures on animals without pity, relating them without shame, how can they still hold their heads among human beings?”

Men Humans Stills Human Beings Animal Shame Pity Cruelty Torture Characteristics Animal Rights Infallible Meanness

Author:Samuel Johnson

“Religion informs us that misery and sin were produced together. The depravation of human will was followed by a disorder of the harmony of nature; and by that Providence which often places antidotes in the neighborhood of poisons, vice was checked by misery, lest it should swell to universal and unlimited dominion.”

Should Humans Together Sin Universal Harmony Misery Vices Poison Neighborhood Disorder Providence Unlimited Antidote Dominion Human Will

Book:Life and Writings

Source: Life and Writings

“Sir, if you wish to have a just notion of the magnitude of this city, you must not be satisfied with seeing its great streets and squares, but must survey the innumerable little lanes and courts. It is not in the showy evolutions of buildings, but in the multiplicity of human habitations which are crowded together, that the wonderful immensity of London consists.”

Source: The table talk of Samuel Johnson

“For life affords no higher pleasure, than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes and seeing them gratified. He that labours in any great or laudable undertaking, has his fatigues first supported by hope, and afterwards rewarded by joy... To strive with difficulties, and to conquer them, is the highest human felicity.”

Firsts Humans Motivational Joy Wish Pleasure Steps Seeing Higher Highest Labor Difficulty Strive Passing Passings Conquer Fatigue Undertakings Felicity

Author:Samuel Johnson

“Memory is like all other human powers, with which no man can be satisfied who measures them by what he can conceive, or by what he can desire.”

Men Humans Desire Memories Satisfied Human Power

Book:Samuel Johnson: Selected Writings

Source: Samuel Johnson: Selected Writings

“To see helpless infancy stretching out her hands, and pouring out her cries in testimony of dependence, without any powers to alarm jealousy, or any guilt to alienate affection, must surely awaken tenderness in every human mind; and tenderness once excited will be hourly increased by the natural contagion of felicity, by the repercussion of communicated pleasure, by the consciousness of dignity of benefaction.”

Source: The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: With An Essay on His Life and Genius

“Great abilities are not requisite for an Historian; for in historical composition, all the greatest powers of the human mind are quiescent. He has facts ready to his hand; so there is no exercise of invention. Imagination is not required in any degree; only about as much as is used in the lowest kinds of poetry. Some penetration, accuracy, and coloring, will fit a man for the task, if he can give the application which is necessary.”

Source: The life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D., comprehending an account of his studies, and numerous works, in chronological order: a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons; and various original pieces of his composition, never before published; the whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great Britain, for near half a century during which he flourished