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Quote by Samuel Johnson

“It is indeed not easy to distinguish affectation from habit; he that has once studiously developed a style, rarely writes afterwards with complete ease.”

Book:Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets: With Critical Observation on Their Works

Work

Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets: With Critical Observation on Their Works

This book offers detailed biographies and critical evaluations of the works of prominent English poets, providing readers with insights into their lives and literary contributions. more

Author

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

“The art of the writer, like that of the player, is attained by slow degrees. The power of distinguishing and discriminating comick characters, or of filling tragedy with poetical images, must be the gift of nature, which no instruction nor labour can supply; but the art of dramatick disposition, the contexture of the scenes, the involution of the plot, the expedients of suspension, and the strategems of surprise, are to be learned by practice.”

Writing Art Character Practice Player Scene Degrees Tragedy Surprise Labour Plot Instruction Disposition Filling Suspension

Book:The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D..: The Adventurer and Idler

Source: The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D..: The Adventurer and Idler

“There seems to be a strange affectation in authors of appearing to have done everything by chance.”

Writing Done Seems Chance Strange Appearing Authorship

Book:Lives of the most eminent English poets, with critical observations on their works. With notes by P. Cunningham

Source: Lives of the most eminent English poets, with critical observations on their works. With notes by P. Cunningham

“Too much nicety of detail disgusts the greatest part of readers, and to throw a multitude of particulars under general heads, and lay down rules of extensive comprehension, is to common understandings of little use.”

Writing Littles Use Understanding Common Too Much Reader Lays Details Disgusting Multitudes Comprehension Niceties

Book:The Rambler: In Four Volumes..

Source: The Rambler: In Four Volumes..

“He that writes may be considered as a kind of general challenger, whom every one has a right to attack; since he quits the common rank of life, steps forward beyond the lists, and offers his merit to the public judgement. To commence author is to claim praise, and no man can justly aspire to honour, but at the hazard of disgrace.”

Men Writing Kind May Common Steps Offers Claims Praise Lists Quitting Judgement Merit Honour Aspire Disgrace Hazards Steps Forward

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

“Invention is almost the only literary labour which blindness cannot obstruct.”

Writing Invention Labour Blindness

Book:The works of the English poets, from Chaucer to Cowper

Source: The works of the English poets, from Chaucer to Cowper

“Many causes may vitiate a writer's judgement of his own works. On that which has cost him much labour he sets a high value, because he is unwilling to think that he has been diligent in vain: what has been produced without toilsome efforts is considered with delight as a proof of vigorous faculties and fertile invention; and the last work, whatever it be, has necessarily most of the grace of novelty.”

Source: The works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: Together with his life, and notes on his Lives of the poets, by Sir John Hawkins, Knt. In eleven volumes ...

“No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library; for who can see the wall crowded on every side by mighty volumes, the works of laborious meditations and accurate inquiry, now scarcely known but by the catalogue.”

Writing Humans Sides Known Meditation Wall Library Conviction Vanity Accurate Volume Inquiry Crowded Public Library Catalogues

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

“There are, indeed, few kinds of composition from which an author, however learned or ingenious, can hope a long continuance of fame.”

Writing Kind Long Fame Composition Ingenious Continuance

Book:The Rambler

Source: The Rambler

“There is ... scarcely any species of writing of which we can tell what is its essence, and what are its constituents; every new genius produces some innovation, which, when invented and approved, subverts the rules which the practice of foregoing authors had established.”

Writing Practice Produce Genius Essence Innovation Species Approved Constituents

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

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