William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt
William Hazlittwas an English writer, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. He is also acknowledged as the finest art critic of his age. Despite his high standing among historians of literature and art, his work is currently little read and mostly out of print...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionCritic
Date of Birth10 April 1778
money people secret
The secret of the difficulties of those people who make a great deal of money, and yet are always in want of it, is this-they throw it away as soon as they get it on the first whim or extravagance that strikes them, and have nothing left to meet ordinary expenses or discharge old debts.
mind opinion stomach
The mind revolts against certain opinions, as the stomach rejects certain foods.
speak virtue ill
The greatest offence against virtue is to speak ill of it.
thinker talkers fluent
The most fluent talkers or most plausible reasoners are not always the justest thinkers.
heart thinking blue
Give me the clear blue sky over my head, and the green turf beneath my feet, a winding road before me, and a three hours' march to dinner - and then to thinking! ... I begin to feel, think, and be myself again. Instead of an awkward silence, broken by attempts at wit or dull common-places, mine is that undisturbed silence of the heart which alone is perfect eloquence.
men genius virtue
Death cancels everything but truth; and strips a man of everything but genius and virtue. It is a sort of natural canonization.
poverty aspect despicable
Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.
character conceited ignorant
Anyone must be mainly ignorant or thoughtless, who is surprised at everything he sees; or wonderfully conceited who expects everything to conform to his standard of propriety.
fashion two ends
Fashion constantly begins and ends in the two things it abhors most, singularity and vulgarity.
rewards fruit speak
Learning is its own exceeding great reward; and at the period of which we speak, it bore other fruits, not unworthy of it.
book library world
Books are a world in themselves, it is true; but they are not the only world. The world itself is a volume larger than all the libraries in it.
inspirational mind done
I like a person who knows his own mind and sticks to it; who sees at once what, in given circumstances, is to be done, and does it.
pain giving littles
The smallest pain in our little finger gives us more concern than the destruction of millions of our fellow beings.
work doe executing
He who does nothing renders himself incapable of doing any thing; but while we are executing any work, we are preparing and qualifying ourselves to undertake another.