Quotes by Samuel Johnson

The greatest victories are those won not on the battlefield, but in the silent chambers of the mind.

He who is never ready, is ever taken by surprise.

The cure for sorrow is to do something.

To marry is to narrow one's field of vision.

The pursuit of knowledge is a journey without a final destination.

The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.

He who is never content is both blessed and cursed, for his pursuit of betterment knows no end.

He who fears failure limits his capacity for triumph.

Grief, when confronted with courage, reveals the strength we never knew we possessed.

To begin well is to have half finished; yet the other half often proves the greater labour.

To be idle is a slow death; to be employed, a constant battle.

A man may write himself out of reputation when he least expects it.

A life without purpose is a ship without a rudder.

The greatest victories are often won not on the battlefield, but within the confines of our own minds.

He who praises everybody praises nobody.

To be happy every day is not a command, but an aspiration.

Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. We must but attempt; more things are done by not shrinking from them, than by any great force of intellect.

The mind must be exercised, not merely stored.

Small kindnesses, though easily forgotten by the giver, are often treasured beyond measure by the receiver.

A man's worth is not measured by his possessions, but by the impact he has on the lives of others.

The true measure of a man is not in his triumphs, but in how he rises after each fall.

He that is never idle, is never poor.

Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having accomplished all that was in his power.

The seeds of knowledge must be sown in youth if we are to reap a harvest in old age.

To know oneself is the beginning of all wisdom, but to act upon it, the truest test.

The habit of prompt action is the parent not only of success, but of safety.

Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.

Doubt is the thief of dreams.

The true test of friendship is not how much you enjoy each other's company, but how much you support each other in times of adversity.

The fountain of knowledge is deep, and it is from diligence alone that one may draw its waters.

To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.

The greatest folly is to believe oneself incapable of folly.

A man may write at any time, if he will set himself doggedly to it.

A life devoid of purpose is a ship without a rudder, destined to drift aimlessly upon the sea.

Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.

To offer kindness, even when it is not deserved, is a mark of true character.

To flee from sorrow is to give it wings.

The pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong journey, not a destination to be reached.

He who makes no mistakes makes nothing at all.

It is better to have attempted greatly and failed, than to have attempted nothing and succeeded.