Samuel Johnson, born on September 18, 1709, in Lichfield, England, was an eminent writer, lexicographer, and renowned figure of the 18th-century literary scene. With his exceptional contributions to the English language, insightful literary criticism, and profound moral philosophy, Johnson left an indelible mark on the world of letters and beyond.
Raised in a modest family, Johnson overcame personal hardships and physical disabilities to pursue his passion for literature. He attended Oxford University but financial constraints forced him to leave before completing his degree. Determined to make his mark, he moved to London and embarked on a career as a writer.
Johnson’s most significant accomplishment was his monumental work, “A Dictionary of the English Language.” Published in 1755, this groundbreaking dictionary showcased his meticulous research, linguistic expertise, and keen insights into the complexities of the English language. Johnson’s dictionary not only standardized spelling and definitions but also provided historical context, etymologies, and illustrative quotations. It became a cornerstone in English lexicography and a testament to Johnson’s dedication and scholarship.
Johnson’s literary criticism showcased his penetrating intellect and discerning judgment. His series of essays, collectively known as “The Rambler” and “The Idler,” provided thought-provoking insights on a wide range of subjects, from morality and literature to social issues. Through his writings, Johnson offered moral guidance, championing virtues such as integrity, empathy, and wisdom.
Johnson’s impact extended beyond lexicography and criticism. He was a prolific writer of poetry, plays, and novels. His novel “Rasselas” explored the nature of happiness and the human condition. Additionally, Johnson’s contributions to journalism, including his periodical “The Rambler,” paved the way for modern essayists and columnists.
Samuel Johnson’s influence on English literature cannot be overstated. His works inspired generations of writers and critics, including notable figures such as Jane Austen and James Boswell. Johnson’s moral teachings and ethical principles continue to resonate with readers seeking guidance on personal conduct and the pursuit of a meaningful life.
Beyond his literary achievements, Johnson’s life was marked by his generosity, wit, and resilience. His friendship and mentorship of young writers, such as Boswell, further solidified his reputation as a compassionate and insightful figure within the literary community.
Samuel Johnson’s contributions to language, literature, and moral philosophy make him a towering figure of the 18th century. His unwavering commitment to scholarship, his deep understanding of human nature, and his invaluable insights continue to inspire and enrich our understanding of literature and life. Samuel Johnson’s enduring legacy as a literary titan and moral guide ensures his place among the most celebrated figures in English literature.
It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The act of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time.
Samuel Johnson
A man ought to read just as inclination leads him, for what he reads as a task will do him little good.
Samuel Johnson
A man will turn over half a library to make one book.
Samuel Johnson
That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own esteem.
Samuel Johnson
A man is in general better pleased when he has a good dinner upon his table, than when his wife talks Greek.
Samuel Johnson
Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.
Samuel Johnson
There are few ways in which a man can be more innocently employed than in getting money.
Samuel Johnson
In traveling, a man must carry knowledge with him, if he would bring home knowledge.
Samuel Johnson
Disappointment, when it involves neither shame nor loss, is as good as success; for it supplies as many images to the mind, and as many topics to the tongue.
Samuel Johnson
A man may be so much of everything that he is nothing of anything.
Samuel Johnson
The vanity of being known to be trusted with a secret is generally one of the chief motives to disclose it.
Samuel Johnson
A man of genius has been seldom ruined but by himself.
Samuel Johnson
A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of anything than he does of his dinner.
Samuel Johnson
Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.
Samuel Johnson
Wine gives a man nothing. It neither gives him knowledge nor wit; it only animates a man, and enables him to bring out what a dread of the company has repressed. It only puts in motion what had been locked up in frost.
Samuel Johnson
A man who exposes himself when he is intoxicated, has not the art of getting drunk.
Samuel Johnson
A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the true value of time, and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary pain.
Samuel Johnson
If a man could say nothing against a character but what he can prove, history could not be written.
Samuel Johnson
A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority.
Samuel Johnson
I have always considered it as treason against the great republic of human nature to make any man’s virtues the means of deceiving him.
Samuel Johnson
A wise man is cured of ambition by ambition itself; his aim is so exalted that riches, office, fortune and favour cannot satisfy him.
Samuel Johnson
Some desire is necessary to keep life in motion, and he whose real wants are supplied must admit those of fancy.
Samuel Johnson
To keep your secret is wisdom; but to expect others to keep it is folly.
Samuel Johnson
Solitude is dangerous to reason, without being favorable to virtue. Remember that the solitary mortal is certainly luxurious, probably superstitious, and possibly mad.
Samuel Johnson
Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed.
Samuel Johnson
Actions are visible, though motives are secret.
Samuel Johnson
From the middle of life onward, only he remains vitally alive who is ready to die with life.
Samuel Johnson
Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.
Samuel Johnson
It is more from carelessness about truth than from intentionally lying that there is so much falsehood in the world.
Samuel Johnson
Few enterprises of great labor or hazard would be undertaken if we had not the power of magnifying the advantages we expect from them.
Samuel Johnson
There is no wisdom in useless and hopeless sorrow, but there is something in it so like virtue, that he who is wholly without it cannot be loved.
Samuel Johnson
Getting money is not all a man’s business: to cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life.
Samuel Johnson
Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself.
Samuel Johnson
Exercise is labor without weariness.
Samuel Johnson
Sorrow is a kind of rust of the soul, which every new idea contributes in its passage to scour away. It is the putrefaction of stagnant life, and is remedied by exercise and motion.
Samuel Johnson
Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own.
Samuel Johnson
I have found men to be more kind than I expected, and less just.
Samuel Johnson
He that undervalues himself will undervalue others, and he that undervalues others will oppress them.
Samuel Johnson
All the arguments which are brought to represent poverty as no evil show it evidently to be a great evil.
Samuel Johnson
When speculation has done its worst, two and two still make four.
Samuel Johnson
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.
Samuel Johnson
All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.
Samuel Johnson
He that embarks on the voyage of life will always wish to advance rather by the impulse of the wind than the strokes of the oar; and many fold in their passage; while they lie waiting for the gale.’
Samuel Johnson
Everything that enlarges the sphere of human powers, that shows man he can do what he thought he could not do, is valuable.
Samuel Johnson
All theory is against freedom of the will; all experience for it.
Samuel Johnson
Friendship, like love, is destroyed by long absence, though it may be increased by short intermissions.
Samuel Johnson
Allow children to be happy in their own way, for what better way will they find?
Samuel Johnson
Language is the dress of thought.
Samuel Johnson
Language is only the instrument of science, and words are but the signs of ideas.
Samuel Johnson
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
He that fails in his endeavors after wealth or power will not long retain either honesty or courage.
Samuel Johnson
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Samuel Johnson
He that will enjoy the brightness of sunshine, must quit the coolness of the shade.
Samuel Johnson
I had rather see the portrait of a dog that I know, than all the allegorical paintings they can show me in the world.
Samuel Johnson
He who praises everybody, praises nobody.
Samuel Johnson
He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything.
Samuel Johnson
Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement.
Samuel Johnson
Dictionaries are like watches. The worst is better than none at all and even the best cannot be expected to run quite true.
Samuel Johnson
No member of a society has a right to teach any doctrine contrary to what society holds to be true.
Samuel Johnson
That is the happiest conversation where there is no competition, no vanity, but a calm quiet interchange of sentiments.
Samuel Johnson