Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swiftwas an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, poet and cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth30 November 1667
CountryIreland
happiness perpetual possession
Happiness is a perpetual possession of being well deceived.
happiness pain years
All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain and languor; it's like spending this year part of next year's revenue.
happiness examination definitions
If we take an examination of what is understood by happiness ... we shall find all its properties ... under this short definition, that it is a perpetual possession of being well deceived.
happiness possession deceived
Happiness is the perpetual possession of being well deceived.
happiness men perfect
So endless and exorbitant are the desires of men that they will grasp at all, and can form no scheme of perfect happiness with less.
happiness success heaven
If Heaven had looked upon riches to be a valuable thing, it would not have given them to such a scoundrel.
against appears dunces genius true
When a true genius appears in this world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.
Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.
art seeing vision
Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.
age-and-aging god grow men merely sacrifice virtuous
When men grow virtuous in their old age, they are merely making a sacrifice to God of the Devil's leavings
change comrades stories
Faith! He must make his stories shorter or change his comrades once a quarter.
expressly heaven ignorant
What they do in heaven we are ignorant of; what they do not we are told expressly
child daughter pride war
War is the child of Pride, and Pride the daughter of Riches.
butter looks melt mouth
She looks as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth