Samuel Johnson Quotes

Whoever thinks of going to bed before twelve o’clock is a scoundrel.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Bed Coward Night Sleep Thinking
It very seldom happens to a man that his business is his pleasure.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Business Happiness Himself Man
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Dangerous Integrity Knowledge Weakness
Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Character Curiosity Intellectual Oneself
Grief is a species of idleness.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Born Children Grief One Liner Wasted Time
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.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Difficult Gratitude Happiness Success
You hesitate to stab me with a word, and know not – silence is the sharper sword.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Deep Hesitation Myself Sharp Silence Weapon Word Yourself
It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Death Himself Live Man
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.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Happiness heavy Life Money Mortal Time
The future is purchased by the present.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Deep Future One Liner Present Time
Nature has given women so much power that the law has very wisely given them little.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Law Nature Power Wisdom Woman
No government power can be abused long. Mankind will not bear it…. There is a remedy in human nature against tyranny, that will keep us safe under every form of government.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Abuse Government Human Nature Power Safety
It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Better Cheating Happiness Suffering Trust Wrong
Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and don’t think of retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Retirement Sorry Talent Thinking World Yourself
The misery of man proceeds not from any single crush of overwhelming evil, but from small vexations continually repeated.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Evil Man Misery Repeat
What is easy is seldom excellent.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Easy Excellence One Liner
Liberty is, to the lowest rank of every nation, little more than the choice of working or starving.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Choice Liberty Nation Starve Work
When any calamity is suffered, the first thing to be remembered is, how much has been escaped.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Adversity Escape Remember Suffering
None but a fool worries about things he cannot influence.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Fools Himself Influence Power Worry
A man is in general better pleased when he has a good dinner upon his table, than when his wife talks Greek.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Better Goodness Man Talk Wife
When there is no hope, there can be no endeavor.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Belief Hope Success Work
No man was ever great by imitation.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Greatness Imitation Man One Liner
To preserve health is a moral and religious duty: for health is the basis of all social virtues; and we can be useful no longer than while we are well.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Health Moral Preserve Religious Social Virtue
From thee, great God, we spring, to thee we tend,- Path, motive, guide, original, and end.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

End God Greatness Guide Motivational Original Spring
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing – it only hastens fools to rush in where angels fear to tread.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Angel Dangerous Fear Fools Knowledge
Our aspirations are our possibilities.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Aspiration Inspirational One Liner Ourselves Possible
When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.
SAMUEL JOHNSON

Concentration Death Focus Man Mindset Wonderful

Famous English writers