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.

No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is delighting his scent with the flowers of spring.

It is necessary to hope… for hope itself is happiness.

We are long before we are convinced that happiness is never to be found, and each believes it possessed by others, to keep alive the hope of obtaining it for himself.

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

We are inclined to believe those whom we don not know because they have never deceived us.

The place of justice is a hallowed place.

Silence is the virtue of fools.

Believe that each day that shines on you is your last.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.

The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.

The most dangerous thing is illusion.

We aim above the mark to hit the mark.

It is not length of life, but depth of life.

We do what we must, and call it by the best names.

If a man constantly aspires is he not elevated?

The master minds of all nations, in all ages, have sprung in affluent multitude from the mass of the nation, and from the mass of the nation only – not from its privileged classes.

Undeservedly you will atone for the sins of your fathers.

All diseases run into one, old age.

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.