Samuel Johnson

"Nothing really matters very much and few things matter at all."

"The shortcut always costs more in the long run."

"If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."

"The only sure thing in life is death and taxes."

"Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced."

"Great works require time and perseverance."

"The business of life is to go forward."

"Even if I could be Shakespeare I think I should still choose to be me."

"Taste is acquired, not given."

"A man should be careful never to tell tales of himself to his own disadvantage."

"Get knowledge, not just information."

"Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be."

"Nothing is commonly seen but when it falls under our notice."

"That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plain of Marathon or reading the history of the Empire."

"Great abilities are not shown by doing easy work, but by doing hard work easily."

"A wise man will make haste to forgive."

"Reformation must begin with individuals."

"The present is our own."

"We are usually the last to know about our own defects."

"Consider nothing impossible."

"He who makes no mistakes does not try new things."

"The true conquest is when a man subdues himself."

"To talk incessantly is not an end in itself but the means to an end."

"Faith without works is dead."

"The man who never made a mistake never tried anything new."

"Venerate the book; it is the best riches of nations."

"Liberty consists of the freedom to choose your own chains."

"Tell the truth, but let it be the truth that needs to be told."

"A man is in general better pleased when he has a good dinner than when his wife talks Greek."

"The chains of custom are as strong as iron."