Check out the best Samuel Johnson quotes on love, knowledge, patriotism, and writing that are timeless, thought-provoking, and full of enduring wisdom.

Samuel Johnson, often called Dr. Johnson, is widely regarded as one of the most influential literary figures of the 18th century.

A poet, essayist, critic, philosopher, and lexicographer, he is best known for compiling A Dictionary of the English Language in 1755.

This monumental work not only shaped the English language but also set the standard for dictionaries for over a century.

Johnson’s writing stood out for its moral insight, sharp wit, intellectual rigor, and deep understanding of human nature.

His essays, many published in The Rambler and The Idler, explored timeless themes such as friendship, grief, ambition, and the pursuit of virtue.

He was also known for his enduring friendship with James Boswell, whose biography The Life of Samuel Johnson remains a literary classic.

Here are some of the most famous Samuel Johnson quotes to inspire deeper thinking and spark meaningful reflection.

Top 10 Samuel Johnson Quotes

1. “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” — Samuel Johnson

   

2. “Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.” — Samuel Johnson

   

3. “Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.” — Samuel Johnson

   

4. “Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” — Samuel Johnson

   

5. “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.” — Samuel Johnson

   

6. “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” — Samuel Johnson

   

7. “Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.” — Samuel Johnson

   

8. “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” — Samuel Johnson

   

9. “Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged.” — Samuel Johnson
10. “Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.” — Samuel Johnson

Best Samuel Johnson Quotes

1. “All intellectual improvement arises from leisure.” — Samuel Johnson
2. “He that wishes to see his country robbed of its rights cannot be a patriot.” — Samuel Johnson
3. “Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” — Samuel Johnson
4. “There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.” — Samuel Johnson
5. “I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am.” — Samuel Johnson
6. “It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.” — Samuel Johnson
7. “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” — Samuel Johnson
8. “Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords.” — Samuel Johnson
9. “When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” — Samuel Johnson
10. “He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.” — Samuel Johnson

Famous Quotes By Samuel Johnson

1. “You can never be wise unless you love reading.” — Samuel Johnson
2. “Bachelors have consciences, married men have wives.” — Samuel Johnson
3. “Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise.” — Samuel Johnson
4. “What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” — Samuel Johnson
5. “Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties.” — Samuel Johnson
6. “Life is a progress from want to want, not from enjoyment to enjoyment.” — Samuel Johnson
7. “Nature has given women so much power that the law has very wisely given them little.” — Samuel Johnson
8. “When once the forms of civility are violated, there remains little hope of return to kindness or decency.” — Samuel Johnson
9. “Courage is the greatest of all virtues, because if you haven’t courage, you may not have an opportunity to use any of the others.” — Samuel Johnson
10. “Ignorance, when it is voluntary, is criminal; and he may be properly charged with evil who refused to learn how he might prevent it.” — Samuel Johnson
11. “To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition, the end to which every enterprise and labor tends, and of which every desire prompts the prosecution.” — Samuel Johnson
12. “Prejudice is a great time-saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts. Prejudice not being founded on reason cannot be removed by argument.” — Samuel Johnson
13. “All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” — Samuel Johnson
14. “If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.” — Samuel Johnson
15. “No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned… a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company.” — Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson Quotes And Sayings

1. “The future is purchased by the present.” — Samuel Johnson
2. “My dear friend, clear your mind of cant.” — Samuel Johnson
3. “Never trust your tongue when your heart is bitter.” — Samuel Johnson
4. “None but a fool worries about things he cannot influence.” — Samuel Johnson
5. “Fraud and falsehood only dread examination. Truth invites it.” — Samuel Johnson
6. “The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.” — Samuel Johnson
7. “Language is the dress of thought; every time you talk your mind is on parade.” — Samuel Johnson
8. “Truth, such as is necessary to the regulation of life, is always found where it is honestly sought.” — Samuel Johnson
9. “To neglect at any time preparation for death is to sleep on our post at a siege; to omit it in old age is to sleep at an attack.” — Samuel Johnson
10. “Exert your talents, and distinguish yourself, and don’t think of retiring from the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire.” — Samuel Johnson

Conclusion

What are your favorite Samuel Johnson quotes and movie lines listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed then let us know in the comments section below.

Feel free to share with friends and family on Facebook, Tumblr, X, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, and more to spread positive vibes.