Benjamin Haydon
Benjamin Haydon
Benjamin Robert Haydonwas an English painter who specialised in grand historical pictures, although he also painted a few contemporary subjects and portraits. His commercial success was damaged by his often tactless dealings with patrons, and by the enormous scale on which he preferred to work. He was troubled by financial problems throughout his life, which led to several periods of imprisonment for debt. He committed suicide in 1846...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionArtist
Date of Birth26 January 1786
Benjamin Haydon quotes about
divinity sparks genius
The greatest geniuses have always attributed everything to God, as if conscious of being possessed of a spark of His divinity.
ordinary genius done
Genius is nothing more than common faculties refined to a greater intensity. There are no astonishing ways of doing astonishing things. All astonishing things are done by ordinary materials.
genius poverty never-fear
Genius in poverty is never feared, because nature, though liberal in her gifts in one instance, is forgetful in another.
men genius alive
Men of genius are often considered superstitious, but the fact is, the fineness of their nerve renders them more alive to the supernatural than ordinary men.
men passed perfectly reached secret sure
Men who have reached and passed 45, have a look as if waiting for the secret of the other world, and as if they were perfectly sure of having found out the secret of this.
independent invention
Invention is totally independent of the will.
indolence difficult
Nothing is difficult; it is only we who are indolent.
real responsibility would-be
We are a compound of both here and hereafter; we shall be made responsible for the actions of both while here. Anything beyond this is beyond our power to prove, and would be of no real value if we could.
men chance life-is
If men would only take the chances of doing right because it is right, instead of the immediate certainty of the advantage of doing wrong, how much happier would their lives be.
successful men evil
No man, perhaps, is so wicked as to commit evil for its own sake. Evil is generally committed under the hope of some advantage the pursuit of virtue seldom obtains. Yet the most successful result of the most virtuous heroism is never without its alloy.
friends race adversaries
It is better to make friends than adversaries of a conquered race.
procrastination men views
To procrastinate seems inherent in man, for if you do to-day that you may enjoy to-morrow it is but deferring the enjoyment; so that to be idle or industrious, vicious or virtuous, is but with a view of procrastinating the one or the other.
mean superstitions helping
Danger is the very basis of superstition. It produces a searching after help supernaturally when human means are no longer supposed to be available.
causes vices belief
Beware of the beginnings of vice. Do not delude yourself with the belief that it can be argued against in the presence of the exciting cause. Nothing but actual flight can save you.