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Samuel Johnson

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

“It is scarcely credible to what degree discernment may be dazzled by the mist of pride, and wisdom infatuated by the intoxication of flattery.”

May Pride Degrees Flattery Discernment Mist Credible Intoxication Infatuated

Book:The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler

Source: The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler

“The mischief of flattery is, not that it persuades any man that he is what he is not, but that it suppresses the influence of honest ambition, by raising an opinion that honour may be gained without the toil of merit.”

Men May Opinion Influence Honest Ambition Merit Honour Toil Flattery Mischief

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

“Few men survey themselves with so much severity as not to admit prejudices in their own favour, which an artful flatterer may gradually strengthen, till wishes for a particular qualification are improved to hopes of attainment, and hopes of attainment to belief of possession.”

Men May Belief Wish Particular Prejudice Possession Favour Flattery Attainment Surveys Qualifications Severity Flatterer

Book:The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

Source: The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

“Every one should consider himself as intrusted not only with his own conduct, but with that of others; and as accountable, not only for the duties which he neglects, or the crimes that he commits, but for that negligence and irregularity which he may encourage or inculcate. Every man, in whatever station, has, or endeavours to have his followers, admirers, and imitators, and has therefore the influence of his example to watch with care.”

Men Should May Care Watches Influence Crime Example Duty Every Man Commit Stations Neglect Followers Endeavour Admirer Negligence Imitator Irregularity

Book:Selected essays

Source: Selected essays

“Exactness is first obtained, and afterwards elegance. But diction, merely vocal, is always in its childhood. As no man leaves his eloquence behind him, the new generations have all to learn. There may possibly be books without a polished language, but there can be no polished language without books.”

Men Firsts May Book Language Behinds Generations Childhood Literacy Elegance Vocal Eloquence New Generation Polished Diction Exactness

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

“Let us take a patriot, where we can meet him; and, that we may not flatter ourselves by false appearances, distinguish those marks which are certain, from those which may deceive; for a man may have the external appearance of a patriot, without the constituent qualities; as false coins have often lustre, though they want weight.”

Men Want May Certain Quality Weight Mark Appearance Deceiving Patriot Coins Constituents False Appearances External Appearance

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

“Some claim a place in the list of patriots, by an acrimonious and unremitting opposition to the court. This mark is by no means infallible. Patriotism is not necessarily included in rebellion. A man may hate his king, yet not love his country.”

Men May Mean Country Hate Kings Claims Mark Court Lists Opposition Rebellion Patriot Infallible

Book:Works

Source: Works

“It is the quality of patriotism to be jealous and watchful, to observe all secret machinations, and to see publick dangers at a distance. The true lover of his country is ready to communicate his fears, and to sound the alarm, whenever he perceives the approach of mischief. But he sounds no alarm, when there is no enemy; he never terrifies his countrymen till he is terrified himself. The patriotism, therefore, may be justly doubted of him, who professes to be disturbed by incredibilities.”

Source: The Works of Samuel Johnson, L. L. D.: In Twelve Volumes

“You may abuse a tragedy, though you cannot write one. You may scold a carpenter who has made you a bad table, though you cannot make a table. It is not your trade to make tables.”

Writing May Made Criticism Abuse Tragedy Tables Trade Critics Carpenter

Author:Samuel Johnson

“It may be laid down as a position which seldom deceives, that when a man cannot bear his own company, there is something wrong.”

Men May Company Position Bears Solitude Deceiving

Book:The Rambler: In Four Volumes..

Source: The Rambler: In Four Volumes..

“Patience and submission are very carefully to be distinguished from cowardice and indolence. We are not to repine, but we may lawfully struggle; for the calamities of life, like the necessities of Nature, are calls to labor and diligence.”

May Struggle Labor Patience Cowardice Submission Distinguished Calamity Diligence Indolence

Book:Works

Source: Works

“Fly-fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.”

May I Can Ends Humor Funny Sea Fool Rivers Sticks Fishes Boat Compare Pleasant Lakes Fishing Strings Worms Amusement Floats Fly Fishing Angling

Author:Samuel Johnson

“A thousand years may elapse before there shall appear another man with a power of versification equal to that of Pope.”

Men Years May Power Thousand Equal Thousand Years Pope Another Man

Book:The Life of Samuel Johnson

Source: The Life of Samuel Johnson

“Books are faithful repositories, which may be awhile neglected or forgotten; but when they are opened again, will again impart their instruction: memory, once interrupted, is not to be recalled. Written learning is a fixed luminary, which, after the cloud that had hidden it has passed away, is again bright in its proper station. Tradition is but a meteor, which, if once it falls, cannot be rekindled.”

Ifs May Book Fall Reading Memories Written Tradition Forgotten Clouds Faithful Fixed Stations Instruction Neglected Book Reading Interrupted Impart Passed Away Meteors

Author:Samuel Johnson

“How many may a man of diffusive conversation count among his acquaintances, whose lives have been signalized by numberless escapes; who never cross the river but in a storm, or take a journey into the country without more adventures than befel the knights-errant of ancient times in pathless forests or enchanted castles! How many must he know, to whom portents and prodigies are of daily occurrence; and for whom nature is hourly working wonders invisible to every other eye, only to supply them with subjects of conversation?”

Source: The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.

“I fancy mankind may come, in time, to write all aphoristically, except in narrative; grow weary of preparation, and connection, and illustration, and all those arts by which a big book is made.”

Writing May Art Made Book Bigs Grows Mankind Connections Preparation Narrative Fancy Weary Quotations Illustration Big Book

Book:Journey to the Hebrides: A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland & The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

Source: Journey to the Hebrides: A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland & The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

“Frugality may be termed the daughter of Prudence, the sister of Temperance, and the parent of Liberty.”

May Parent Liberty Daughter Prudence Temperance Thrift Frugality

Book:The Rambler: In Four Volumes

Source: The Rambler: In Four Volumes

“Hunger is never delicate; they who are seldom gorged to the full with praise may be safely fed with gross compliments, for the appetite must be satisfied before it is disgusted.”

May Praise Hunger Satisfied Feds Compliment Appetite Delicate Gross Disgusted

Book:The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

Source: The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

“The belief of immortality is impressed upon all men, and all men act under an impression of it, however they may talk, and though, perhaps, they may be scarcely sensible of it.”

Men May Belief Impression Immortality Sensible Impressed

Book:The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: Including a Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

Source: The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: Including a Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

“We may have uneasy feelings for seeing a creature in distress without pity; for we have not pity unless we wish to relieve them.”

May Feelings Wish Seeing Creatures Pity Distress Uneasy Uneasy Feelings

Author:Samuel Johnson

“We may take Fancy for a companion, but must follow Reason as our guide.”

May Reason Guides Fancy Companion

Book: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

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

“Most vices may be committed very genteelly: a man may debauch his friend's wife genteelly: he may cheat at cards genteelly”

Men May Wife Committed Vices Cards Cheat Wrongdoing

Book:Dr. Johnson's Table Talk: Containing Aphorisms on Literature, Life, and Manners; with Anecdotes of Distinguished Persons, Selected and Arranged from Dr. Boswell's Life of Johnson

Source: Dr. Johnson's Table Talk: Containing Aphorisms on Literature, Life, and Manners; with Anecdotes of Distinguished Persons, Selected and Arranged from Dr. Boswell's Life of Johnson

“Piety practiced in solitude, like the flower that blooms in the desert, may give its fragrance to the winds of heaven, and delight those unbodied spirits that survey the works of God and the actions of men; but it bestows no assistance upon earthly beings, and however free from taints of impurity, yet wants the sacred splendor of beneficence.”

Men Want Giving May Action Spirit Religion Heaven Wind Flower Solitude Sacred Delight Desert Assistance Fragrance Piety Surveys Splendor Impurity Beneficence

Book:The works of Samuel Johnson

Source: The works of Samuel Johnson