Samuel Johnson

Pity is not natural to man. Children and savages are always cruel. Pity is acquired and improved by the cultivation read more

Pity is not natural to man. Children and savages are always cruel. Pity is acquired and improved by the cultivation of reason. We may have uneasy sensations from seeing a creature in distress, without pity; but we have not pity unless we wish to relieve him.

Excellence in any department can be attained only by the labor of a lifetime; it is not to be purchased read more

Excellence in any department can be attained only by the labor of a lifetime; it is not to be purchased at a lesser price.

Of all the griefs that harass the distress'd,
Sure the most bitter is a scornful jest;
Fate read more

Of all the griefs that harass the distress'd,
Sure the most bitter is a scornful jest;
Fate never wounds more deep the generous heart,
Than when a blockhead's insult points the dart.

How guilt once harbour'd in the conscious breast,
Intimidates the brave, degrades the great.

How guilt once harbour'd in the conscious breast,
Intimidates the brave, degrades the great.

Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.

Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.