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Quote by Samuel Johnson

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The Works of Samuel Johnson...

This volume encompasses a wide array of works by Samuel Johnson, showcasing his intellectual contributions and influence on English literature. It includes his seminal work 'A Dictionary of the English Language,' as well as numerous essays and poems that reflect his wit and scholarly expertise. more

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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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“There is reason to suspect, that the distinctions of mankind have more show than value, when it is found that all agree to be weary alike of pleasures and of cares; that the powerful and the weak, the celebrated and obscure, join in one common wish, and implore from nature's hand the nectar of oblivion.”

ReasonShowsHandsCareValuesHumanityFoundWishPleasurePowerfulCommonMankindWeakAgreeDistinctionSuspectsWearyObscureOblivionNectar
Book:The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: With An Essay on His Life and Genius
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“Every class of society has its cant of lamentation, which is understood or regarded by none but themselves; and every part of life has its uneasiness, which those who do not feel them will not commiserate. An event which spreads distraction over half the commercial world, assembles the trading companies in councils and committees, and shakes the nerves of a thousand stockjobbers, is read by the landlord and the farmer with frigid indifference.”

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Book:The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.: D., with an Essay on His Life and Genius
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“No degree of knowledge attainable by man is able to set him above the want of hourly assistance, or to extinguish the desire of fond endearments and tender officiousness; and, therefore, no one should think it unnecessary to learn those arts by which friendship may be gained.”

ThinkingMenWantShouldMayArtAbleDesireHumanityDegreesUnnecessaryAssistanceEndearment
Book:Johnsoniana: Or, Supplement to Boswell: Being Anecdotes and Sayings of Dr. Johnson
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“We are unreasonably desirous to separate the goods of life from those evils which Providence has connected with them, and to catch advantages without paying the price at which they are offered to us. Every man wishes to be rich, but very few have the powers necessary to raise a sudden fortune, either by new discoveries, or by superiority of skill in any necessary employment; and among lower understandings many want the firmness and industry requisite to regular gain and gradual acquisitions.”

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Book:Works: With an Essay on His Life and Genius
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“The hostility perpetually exercised between one man and another, is caused by the desire of many for that which only few can possess. Every man would be rich, powerful, and famous; yet fame, power, and riches, are only the names of relative conditions, which imply the obscurity, dependence, and poverty of greater numbers.”

MenWould BeDesireHumanityNamesPowerfulNumbersPovertyRichGreaterConditionsFameRichesEvery ManOne ManRelativeDependenceHostilityObscurity
Book:The Rambler: In Four Volumes..
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“The power, indeed, of every individual is small, and the consequence of his endeavours imperceptible, in a general prospect of the world. Providence has given no man ability to do much, that something might be left for every man to do. The business of life is carried on by a general co-operation; in which the part of any single man can be no more distinguished, than the effect of a particular drop when the meadows are floated by a summer shower: yet every drop increases the inundation, and every hand adds to the happiness or misery of mankind.”

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