Samuel Johnson

That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own esteem.

He that would be superior to external influences must first become superior to his own passions.

No man is much regarded by the rest of the world. He that considers how little he dwells upon the condition of others, will learn how little the attention of others is attracted by himself. While we see multitudes passing before us, of whom perhaps not one appears to deserve our notice or excites our sympathy, we should remember, that we likewise are lost in the same throng, that the eye which happens to glance upon us is turned in a moment on him that follows us, and that the utmost which we can reasonably hope or fear is to fill a vacant hour with prattle, and be forgotten.

Treating your adversary with respect is striking soft in battle.

There are charms made only for distant admiration.

To expect that the intricacies of science will be pierced by a careless glance, or the eminences of fame ascended without labour, is to expect a peculiar privilege, a power denied to the rest of mankind; but to suppose that the maze is inscrutable to diligence, or the heights inaccessible to perseverance, is to submit tamely to the tyranny of fancy, and enchain the mind in voluntary shackles.

If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.

Despite the enormous quantity of books, how few people read! And if one reads profitably, one would realize how much stupid stuff the vulgar herd is content to swallow every day.

He who does not mind his belly, will hardly mind anything else.

When things are steep, remember to stay level-headed.

For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction.

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good;be good for something.All fables, indeed, have their morals; but the innocent enjoy the story. Let nothing come between you and the light. Respect men and brothers only. When you travel to the Celestial City, carry no letter of introduction. When you knock, ask to see God,

The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.

Some people are stuck on who I was that who I am never even had a chance.

We are not what we are, nor do we treat or esteem each other for such, but for what we are capable of being.

We sing in a church, why can we not dance there?

The Public is merely a multiplied “me”.

Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.

The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.

Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time.

It is at our mother’s knee that we acquire our noblest and truest and highest ideals, but there is seldom any money in them.