Samuel Johnson

1709–1784 · English author, lexicographer & critic

Samuel Johnson was one of the towering figures of 18th-century English letters — poet, essayist, critic, and compiler of the landmark A Dictionary of the English Language (1755). Renowned for his aphoristic conversation, he is among the most-quoted figures in the language, largely because his friend James Boswell recorded his talk in extraordinary detail. This remark on friendship is one such recorded saying, addressed to the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Traced to source

4 quotes we’ve traced to Samuel Johnson

“A man, Sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair”

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“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance”

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“Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords”

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“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”

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