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Quote by Samuel Johnson

Work

The Beauties of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: Consisting of Maxims and Observations, Moral, Critical, and Miscellaneous : to which are Now Added, Biographical Anecdotes of the Doctor, Selected from the Works of Mrs. Piozzi, His Life, Recently Published by Mr. Boswell, and Other Authentic Testimonies : Also His Will, and the Sermon He Wrote for the Late Doctor Dodd

This volume gathers selected maxims, observations, and reflections by Samuel Johnson, the renowned English writer and lexicographer best known for his Dictionary of the English Language. The collection presents Johnson's thoughts on moral conduct, literary criticism, and various subjects of general interest. The work also includes biographical anecdotes about Johnson drawn from the accounts of his contemporaries, particularly selections from the writings of Hester Thrale Piozzi and references to James Boswell's biographical work. Additionally, the volume contains Johnson's last will and testament, as well as the sermon he composed for Doctor Dodd, a clergyman with whom Johnson was acquainted. The compilation represents an effort to preserve and present the wisdom and literary legacy of one of the most influential figures in eighteenth-century English literature. more

Author

Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson

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. more

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“Books, says Lord Bacon, can never teach us the use of books; the student must learn by commerce with mankind to reduce his speculations to practice. No man should think so highly of himself as to think he can receive but little light from books; no one so meanly, as to believe he can discover nothing but what is to be learned from them.”

“As to the Christian religion, besides the strong evidence which we have for it, there is a balance in its favor from the number of great men who have been convinced of its truth after a serious consideration of the question. Grotius was an acute man, a lawyer, a man accustomed to examine evidence, and he was convinced. Grotius was not a recluse, but a man of the world, who certainly had no bias on the side of religion. Sir Isaac Newton set out an infidel, and came to be a very firm believer.”

“All truth is valuable, and satirical criticism may be considered as useful when it rectifies error and improves judgment; he that refines the public taste is a public benefactor.”