Samuel Johnson

"The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to extend them. I shall use my time."

"Depend upon it that if a man talks of his misfortunes there is something in them that is not disagreeable to him."

"Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess."

"Language is the dress of thought."

"It is better to suffer than to do mischief."

"One of the greatest pleasures of reading is that it is a benefit to the poor as well as the rich."

"A man ought to read just as inclination leads him, for what he reads as a task will do him little good."

"The feeling of friendship is like that of being comfortably filled with roast beef."

"If a man has not made a friend by the age of fifty, he has never made one."

"Death is only fearful when we are given time to think about it."

"A man can be so changed by circumstances that his own kindred cannot recognize him."

"Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off."

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that the mind of man can be expanded infinitely through learning."

"There are few situations in which virtue is not aided by self-deception."

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man."

"To know things well, we must know them in detail; and detail is a kind of work that is very little in fashion."

"It is not the finest of feelings to know that one must go where one must go."

"The true art of memory is attention."

"All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own."

"Happiness lies not in the extent of possessions but in the modesty of desires."

"Intemperance in any aspect of life is the road to ruin."

"No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is still engaged in the struggles of spring."

"The capacity for friendship requires the ability to be alone."

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

"Being born into the world is like being issued a problem to solve."

"One cannot reflect deeply upon a matter without the proper tools of contemplation."

"The greatest evil that can happen to good people is that they believe themselves good."

"A moment of silence says more than a thousand words."

"It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived."

"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything."