Samuel Johnson

Birth: 1709-09-18 , Lichfield

Death: 1784-12-13 , Londres

Samuel Johnson was a prominent 18th-century English writer, lexicographer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He is widely regarded as one of the most important literary figures in British history, famous for his 'A Dictionary of the English Language'.

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To strive with difficulties, and to conquer them, is the highest human felicity.

A man of genius has been seldom ruined but by himself.

No mind is much employed upon the present recollection and anticipation fill up almost all our moments.

It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done.

Round numbers are always false.

It is better to live rich than to die rich.

Language is only the instrument of science, and words are but the signs of ideas.

Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.

When once a man has made celebrity necessary to his happiness, he has put it in the power of the weakest and most timorous malignity, if not to take away his satisfaction, at least to withhold it. His enemies may indulge their pride by airy negligence and gratify their malice by quiet neutrality.

Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself.

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Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784) was an English writer who became one of the most celebrated intellectuals of his time. Born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, he struggled with ill health and financial difficulties for much of his life. His most influential work, 'A Dictionary of the English Language' (1755), was a landmark in English lexicography, defining the vocabulary and spelling of the language. Johnson also produced insightful essays, sermons, poems, and biographies, including 'Lives of the Poets'. He was a central figure in London's literary circles, known for his sharp wit, brilliant conversation, and strong opinions. His life and work were immortalized in James Boswell's 'Life of Samuel Johnson', one of the most important biographies in English literature.