Literature Network » Samuel Johnson

The wise wordsmith. (for the people).(Samuel Johnson quotations)(Brief Article)

Content courtesy of

From: Insight on the News
Date: 20020527
Author:Goode, Stephen

For the people has quoted Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) before, but it is difficult to get enough of him because few have said so many things so well. "Most schemes of political improvement are very laughable things," for example, or "A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good."

And how's this for a put-down: "That fellow seems to me to possess but one idea, and that is a wrong one." Or, if you have it in for lawyers, Johnson observed that "he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Samuel Johnson

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.