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Samuel Johnson Quotes - Page 54

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Social sorrow loses half its pain.

Social sorrow loses half its pain.

Pain, Sorrow, Half

Samuel Johnson (1787). “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 ...”, p.347

Sorrow is properly that state of the mind in which our desires are fixed upon the past without looking forward to the future.

Past, Mind, Sorrow

Samuel Johnson (1791). “The Rambler”, p.270

To grieve for evils is often wrong; but it is much more wrong to grieve without them. All sorrow that lasts longer than its cause is morbid, and should be shaken off as an attack of melancholy, as the forerunner of a greater evil than poverty or pain.

Pain, Grieving, Evil

Samuel Johnson (2014). “The Letters of Samuel Johnson, Volume III: 1777-1781”, p.128, Princeton University Press

The limbs will quiver and move after the soul is gone.

Moving, Soul, Gone

Samuel Johnson (1836). “Johnsoniana: Or, Supplement to Boswell: Being Anecdotes and Sayings of Dr. Johnson”, p.311

Even those to whom Providence has allotted greater strength of understanding can expect only to improve a single science.

Understanding, Study, Providence

Samuel Johnson (1977). “Selected Poetry and Prose”, p.199, Univ of California Press

Whatever professes to benefit by pleasing must please at once. The pleasures of the mind imply something sudden and unexpected; that which elevates must always surprise.

Style, Mind, Benefits

Samuel Johnson (1977). “Selected Poetry and Prose”, p.380, Univ of California Press

I am a friend to subordination, as most conducive to the happiness of society. There is a reciprocal pleasure in governing and being governed.

Pleasure, Subordination, Reciprocal

Thomas M. Curley, Samuel Johnson (1998). “Sir Robert Chambers: Law, Literature, and Empire in the Age of Johnson”, p.550, Univ of Wisconsin Press

Suspicion is very often a useless pain.

Pain, Useless, Suspicion

James Boswell, Samuel Johnson, Edmond Malone (1824). “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”, p.132

A man who always talks for fame never can be pleasing. The man who talks to unburthen his mind is the man to delight you.

Men, Talking, Mind

The necessary connexion of representatives with taxes, seems to have sunk deep into many of those minds, that admit sounds, without their meaning.

Mind, Sound, Taxation

Samuel Johnson, Arthur Murphy (1840). “The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: Lives of the poets”, p.432

Tears are often to be found where there is little sorrow, and the deepest sorrow without any tears.

Sorrow, Tears, Littles

Samuel Johnson (1825). “The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.”, p.304

Thought is always troublesome to him who lives without his own approbation.

Troublesome

Samuel Johnson, Arthur Murphy (1825). “The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: Journey to the Hebrides. Tales of the imagination. Prayers and sermons. Index”, p.317

Presumption will be easily corrected; but timidity is a disease of the mind more obstinate and fatal.

Mind, Disease, Obstinate

Samuel Johnson (1840). “The Life and Writings of Samuel Johnson...”, p.154

A fallible being will fail somewhere.

Failing

Samuel Johnson, James Boswell (1807). “Dr. Johnson's table-talk: aphorisms [&c.] selected and arranged from mr. Boswell's life of Johnson”, p.85

A small country town is not the place in which one would choose to quarrel with a wife; every human being in such places is a spy.

Country, Wife, Spy

Ancient travelers guessed; modern travelers measure.

Travel, Ancient, Modern

James Boswell, Samuel Johnson (1859). “The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: Including a Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”, p.195

Whoever shall review his life, will find that the whole tenor of his conduct has been determined by some accident of no apparent moment.

Determined, Moments, Reviews

Samuel Johnson (1761). “The Rambler: In Four Volumes”, p.190

Liberty is the parent of truth, but truth and decency are sometimes at variance. All men and all propositions are to be treated here as they deserve, and there are many who have no claim either to respect or decency.

Truth, Men, Parent

Samuel Johnson (1787). “The works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: In thirteen volumes. ...”, p.268

Truth, such as is necessary to the reputation of life, is always found where it is honestly sought.

Truth, Reputation, Life Is

The charm of London is that you are never glad or sorry for ten minutes together; in the country you are one or the other for weeks.

Country, Sorry, Together

I doubt if there ever was a man who was not gratified by being told that he was liked by the women.

Men, Vanity, Doubt

Samuel Johnson (1836). “Johnsoniana; or supplement to Boswell; being Anecdotes and sayings of Dr. Johnson, etc”, p.361

No man sympathizes with the sorrows of vanity.

Men, Vanity, Sorrow

Samuel Johnson (1851). “The beauties of Johnson: choice selections from his works”, p.94

The greatest human virtue bears no proportion to human vanity. We always think ourselves better than we are, and are generally desirous that others should think us still better than we think ourselves. To praise us for actions or dispositions which deserve praise is not to confer a benefit, but to pay a tribute. We have always pretensions to fame which, in our own hearts, we know to be disputable, and which we are desirous to strengthen by a new suffrage; we have always hopes which we suspect to be fallacious, and of which we eagerly snatch at every confirmation.

Heart, Thinking, Vanity

Samuel Johnson (1848). “The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler”, p.216

We have always pretensions to fame which, in our own hearts, we know to be disputable.

Heart, Vanity, Fame

Samuel Johnson (1761). “The Rambler: In Four Volumes”, p.271

A country gentleman should bring his lady to visit London as soon as he can, that they may have agreeable topicks for conversation when they are by themselves.

Country, Gentleman, May

James Boswell, Samuel Johnson, Edmond Malone (1824). “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”, p.175

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