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"61 Samuel Johnson Quotes & Sayings

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Born: 18 September 1709. Died: 13 December 1784 | Writer | Poet |

Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.

Intellect Certain One Permanent
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Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.
Great Performed Perseverance Strength
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Of all noises, I think music is the least disagreeable.

Disagreeable I Think Least Music
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Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.

Find Information Kinds Know
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Being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned.

Being Chance Drowned Jail
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Read over your compositions, and when you meet a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out.

Fine Meet Out Over
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Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement.

Advertisement Large Promise Soul
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The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.

Absolutely Good He Him
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One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts.

Disadvantages Makes Man Mistake
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Wine gives a man nothing... it only puts in motion what had been locked up in frost.

Been Frost Gives Had
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He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.

Anything Changing Disposition Efforts
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Almost every man wastes part of his life attempting to display qualities which he does not possess.

Almost Attempting Display Does
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Courage is the greatest of all virtues, because if you haven't courage, you may not have an opportunity to use any of the others.

Any Because Courage Greatest
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It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done.

Compared Consider Done He
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Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.

Even Fondness Kindness Our
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Whoever thinks of going to bed before twelve o'clock is a scoundrel.

Bed Before Going Scoundrel
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Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth.
Art Pleasure Poetry Truth
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Nature has given women so much power that the law has very wisely given them little.

Given Law Little Much
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Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.

Certain Characteristics Curiosity Intellect
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If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man, sir, should keep his friendship in a constant repair.

Acquaintances Advances Alone Constant
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What is easy is seldom excellent.
Easy Excellent Seldom
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A wise man is cured of ambition by ambition itself; his aim is so exalted that riches, office, fortune and favour cannot satisfy him.

Aim Ambition Cannot Cured
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The chief glory of every people arises from its authors.

Arises Authors Chief Every
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To love one that is great, is almost to be great one's self.

Almost Great Love Self
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Man alone is born crying, lives complaining, and dies disappointed

Alone Born Complaining Crying
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A man of genius has been seldom ruined but by himself

Been Genius Has-Been Himself
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Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent.

Deliberation How Idle Life
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When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.

Afford He Life London
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The two offices of memory are collection and distribution.

Collection Distribution Memory Offices
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When any calamity has been suffered the first thing to be remembered is, how much has been escaped.

Any Been Calamity Escaped
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Between falsehood and useless truth there is little difference. As gold which he cannot spend will make no man rich, so knowledge which cannot apply will make no man wise.

Apply Between Cannot Difference
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Many things difficult to design prove easy to performance.

Design Difficult Easy Many
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Words are but the signs of ideas.

Ideas Signs Words
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All the arguments which are brought to represent poverty as no evil show it evidently to be a great evil.

Argument Brought Evidently Evil
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What makes all doctrines plain and clear? About two hundred pounds a year. And that which was proved true before, prove false again? Two hundred more.

About Again Before Clear
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Every man is rich or poor according to the proportion between his desires and his enjoyments.

According Between Desires Every
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The world is like a grand staircase, some are going up and some are going down.

Down Going Grand Like
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The world is seldom what it seems; to man, who dimly sees, realities appear as dreams, and dreams realities.

Appear Dreams Man Realities
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Books like friends, should be few and well-chosen.

Books Few Friends Like
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From the middle of life onward, only he remains vitally alive who is ready to die with life.

Alive Die He Life
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Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.

Dangerous Dreadful Integrity Knowledge
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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.

Counsel Despair Determination Diligence
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Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.

Attempted Ever First Must
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Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.
First Great Requisite Self-Confidence
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To keep your secret is wisdom; but to expect others to keep it is folly.

Expect Folly Keep Others
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Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes and seeing them gratified.

Affords Another Difficulties Forming
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Those who attain any excellence, commonly spend life in one pursuit; for excellence is not often gained upon easier terms.

Any Attain Commonly Easier
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It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentionally lying that there is so much falsehood in the world.
About Carelessness Falsehood Intentionally
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No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company.

Being Better Chance Commonly
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The true art of memory is the art of attention.
Art Attention Memory True
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Samuel Johnson Quotes & Sayings