Quotes by Samuel Johnson

Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.

"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."

You raise your voice when you should reinforce your argument.

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."

The best of conversations occur when there is no competition, no vanity, but a calm quiet interchange of sentiments.

There can be no friendship without confidence and no confidence without integrity.

It is very natural for young men to be vehement, acrimonious and severe. For as they seldom comprehend at once all the consequences of a position, or perceive the difficulties by which cooler and more experienced reasoners are restrained from confidence, they form their conclusions with great precipitance. Seeing nothing that can darken or embarrass the question, they expect to find their own opinion universally prevalent, and are inclined to impute uncertainty and hesitation to want of honesty, rather than of knowledge.

Much may be made of a Scotsman if he be caught young.

What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.

No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money.