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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A Stalin functionary admitted, ‘Innocent people were arrested: naturally—otherwise no one would be frightened. If people, he said, were arrested only for specific misdemeanours, all the others would feel safe and so become ripe for treason.’

Gratitude is a fruit of great cultivation; you do not find it among gross people.

To let friendship die away by negligence and silence is certainly not wise. It is voluntarily to throw away one of the greatest comforts of this weary pilgrimage.

If a kingdom be . . . a great family, a family likewise is a little kingdom, torn with factions and exposed to revolutions.

Expectation improperly indulged in must end in disappointment.

Curiosity is the thirst of the soul; it inflames and torments us, and makes us taste every thing with joy.

Courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other.

So different are the colors of life as we look forward to the future, or backward to the past . . . that the conversation of the old and young ends generally with contempt or pity on either side.

Integrity which has been attacked by no temptation can at best be considered but as gold not yet brought to the test, of which therefore the true value cannot be assigned.

Friendship, like love, is destroyed by long absence, though it may be increased by short intermissions.

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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.