I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.No. 137. The necessity of literary courage, Samuel Johnson's Essays
Author · 27 quotes
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) was an English writer, lexicographer, and critic who is best known for his influential work, "A Dictionary of the English Language," published in 1755. Johnson's witty essays, literary criticism, and biographies were also highly regarded during the 18th century and continue to be studied for their insights into the English language and literature.
1709–1784·lived 75 years
I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.No. 137. The necessity of literary courage, Samuel Johnson's Essays
Don't think of retiring from the world until the world will be sorry that you retire. I hate a fellow whom pride or cowardice or laziness drives into a corner, and who does nothing when he is there but sit and growl. Let him come out as I do, and bark.
The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
Clear your mind of “cant”.
Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.
No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money.The Life of Samuel Johnson, p. 123, 1791
Money and time are the heaviest burdens of life, and... the unhappiest of all mortals are those who have more of either than they know how to use.The Idler, No. 84, 1759
There are few ways in which a man can be more innocently employed than in getting money.The Idler, No. 36, 1759
No complaint... is more common than that of a scarcity of money.The Wealth of Nations, 1776
All theory is against freedom of the will; all experience for it.Two Concepts of Freedom, American Philosophical Association, 2013
Words are but the signs of ideas.The Idler, No. 84, 1759
To love one that is great, is almost to be great one's self.The Idler, No. 84, 1759
It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.The Idler, No. 32, 1758
Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged.The Rambler, No. 60, 1750
To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition, the end to which every enterprise and labor tends, and of which every desire prompts the prosecution.The Idler, No. 60, 1759
If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, 1759
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, ch. 41, 1759
Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D., Vol 3
The true art of memory is the art of attention.Idler 74, Samuel Johnson's Essay, 1758
The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.Anecdotes of Samuel Johnson, 1786
Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, Chapter XII, 1759
Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth.Lives of the English Poets: Milton, 1779–81
Exercise is labor without weariness.The Rambler: In Four Volumes, p. 35, 1784
'Tis healthy to be sick sometimes.No. 112. Too much nicety not to be indulged. The character of Eriphile. Samuel Johnson's Essays
We need to be reminded more than we need to be instructed.The Rambler, No. 2, 1750
The end result of all ambition is to be happy at home.The Rambler, November 10, 1750
Keep in mind that the true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good.The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good, The Socratic Method, 2023
That’s all 27 quotes by Samuel Johnson.