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 success heaven
If Heaven had looked upon riches to be a valuable thing, it would not have given them to such a scoundrel.
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.
ate bold risk
It was a bold person that first ate an oyster.
knowledge pretend pretense
Pretense is the overrating of any kind of knowledge we pretend to.
places proper true words
Proper words in proper places make the true definiton of style.
definition places proper true words
Proper words in proper places make the true definition of style.
broken promises
Promises and Pye-Crusts - are made to be broken
ad bite flea fleas hath proceed smaller
So, naturalists observe, a flea - Hath smaller fleas that on him prey; And these have smaller still to bite 'em; And so proceed ad infinitum
art seeing vision
Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.
child daughter pride war
War is the child of Pride, and Pride the daughter of Riches.