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
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.
justice judging prejudice
Familiarity confounds all traits of distinction; interest and prejudice take away the power of judging.
strong diversity prejudice
There is no prejudice so strong as that which arises from a fancied exemption from all prejudice.
essence world prejudice
Almost every sect of Christianity is a perversion of its essence, to accommodate it to the prejudices of the world.
thinking prejudice barbarians
The true barbarian is he who thinks everything barbarous but his own tastes and prejudices.
prejudice open-mindedness narrow-minded
The most learned are often the most narrow minded.
ignorance mind prejudice
Vulgar prejudices are those which arise out of accident, ignorance, or authority; natural prejudices are those which arise out of the constitution of the human mind itself.
prejudice easy reason
Prejudice is never easy unless it can pass itself off for reason.
common-sense prejudice common
The rule for traveling abroad is to take our common sense with us, and leave our prejudices behind.
anniversary birthday celebrate man money monuments notice
When a man is dead, they put money in his coffin, erect monuments to his memory, and celebrate the anniversary of his birthday in set speeches. Would they take any notice of him if he were living? No!
work
When I take up a work that I have read before (the oftener the better) I know what I have to expect. The satisfaction is not lessened by being anticipated.
afterwards anywhere borrow english-critic life spend traveling
I should like to spend the whole of my life in traveling abroad, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend afterwards at home.
playing
The world has been doing little else but playing at make-believe all its lifetime.
answering belief believe difference feeling left media paid spent swear truth turns
Belief is with them mechanical, voluntary: they believe what they are paid for -- they swear to that which turns to account. Do you suppose, that after years spent in this manner, they have any feeling left answering to the difference between truth and falsehood?