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
friend
It is well that there is no one without a fault; for he would not have a friend in the world
absence cannot care complain exercise feeling friends-or-friendship good intent joy leave manifest merely neither nor persons points society solely subjects understanding useful worse
There are persons who cannot make friends. Who are they? Those who cannot be friends. It is not the want of understanding or good nature, of entertaining or useful qualities, that you complain of: on the contrary, they have probably many points of attraction; but they have one that neutralizes all these --they care nothing about you, and are neither the better nor worse for what you think of them. They manifest no joy at your approach; and when you leave them, it is with a feeling that they can do just as well without you. This is not sullenness, nor indifference, nor absence of mind; but they are intent solely on their own thoughts, and you are merely one of the subjects they exercise them upon. They live in society as in a solitude.
english-critic faults friend talk
I like a friend better for having faults that one can talk about.
friendship strength heart
To be capable of steady friendship or lasting love, are the two greatest proofs, not only of goodness of heart, but of strength of mind.
friendship thinking prejudice
Natural affection is a prejudice; for though we have cause to love our nearest connections better than others, we have no reason to think them better than others.
old-friends forgotten forget
When we forget old friends, it is a sign we have forgotten ourselves.
friendship meat cold
Old friendships are like meats served up repeatedly, cold, comfortless, and distasteful. The stomach turns against them.
friendship faults
I like a friend the better for having faults that one can talk about.
friendship true-friend fear
He will never have true friends who is afraid of making enemies.
true-friend real mirrors
True friendship is self-love at second hand; where, as in a flattering mirror we may see our virtues magnified and our errors softened, and where we may fancy our opinion of ourselves confirmed by an impartial and faithful witness.
hate lost-friendship world
The dupe of friendship, and the fool of love; have I not reason to hate and to despise myself? Indeed I do; and chiefly for not having hated and despised the world enough.
friendship breakup promise
Few things tend more to alienate friendship than a want of punctuality in our engagements. I have known the breach of a promise to dine or sup to break up more than one intimacy.
friendship embalming corpses
The corpse of friendship is not worth embalming.
friendship vanity amusement
Friendship is cemented by interest, vanity, or the want of amusement; it seldom implies esteem, or even mutual regard.