Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swiftwas an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer, poet and cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth30 November 1667
CountryIreland
life tragedy life-is
Life is a tragedy wherein we sit as spectators for a while and then act our part in it.
beauty art height
For though, in nature, depth and height Are equally held infinite: In poetry, the height we know; 'Tis only infinite below.
littles body goodness
She has more goodness in her little finger than he has in his whole body.
sarcasm men vices
It is as hard to satirize well a man of distinguished vices, as to praise well a man of distinguished virtues.
delicacy may judgment
A footman may swear; but he cannot swear like a lord. He can swear as often: but can he swear with equal delicacy, propriety, and judgment?
past carpe-diem locks
Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is once past, there is no recalling it.
greed vices humankind
There is no vice which humankind carries to such wild extremes as that of avarice.
kind rating pedantry
Pedantry is properly the over-rating of any kind of knowledge we pretend to.
bread quarrels bread-and-butter
I won't quarrel with my bread and butter.
hate world charity
I hate nobody: I am in charity with the world.
prayer sunday journey
I always love to begin a journey on Sundays, because I shall have the prayers of the church to preserve all that travel by land, or water.
adversity ease firsts
In all distresses of our friends We first consult our private ends; While Nature, kindly bent to ease us, Points out some circumstance to please us.
young worst company
Usually speaking, the worst-bred person in company is a young traveller just returned from abroad.
elephants maps want
So geographers, in Africa maps, With savage pictures fill their gaps, And o'er uninhabitable downs Place elephants for want of towns