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
thinking owl woods
Do you think I was born in a wood to be afraid of an owl?
thinking self-improvement done
But you think that it is time for me to have done with the world, and so I would if I could get into a better before I was called into the best, and not die here in a rage, like a poisoned rat in a hole.
giving-up thinking thoughtful
With a whirl of thought oppressed I sink from reverie to rest. An horrid vision seized my head, I saw the graves give up their dead.
thinking flying aviation
The bulk of mankind is as well equipped for flying as thinking.
reading thinking age
We of this age have discovered a shorter, and more prudent method to become scholars and wits, without the fatigue of reading or of thinking.
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
animals children diversion fighting imitation sorts
Most sorts of diversion in men, children and other animals, are an imitation of fighting