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
hands gambling complaining
I must complain the cards are ill shuffled till I have a good hand.
class firsts titles
It is a maxim, that those, to whom everybody allows the second place, have an undoubted title to the first.
mistake men errors
Who can deny that all men are violent lovers of the truth, when we see them so positive in their errors, which they will maintain out of their zeal for truth, although they contradict themselves every day of their lives.
greatness men two
The two maxims of any great man at court are, always to keep his countenance, and never to keep his word.
reading book argument
Argument, as usually managed, is the worst sort of conversation, as in books it is generally the worst sort of reading.
advice warning mankind
How is it possible to expect that mankind will take advice when they will not so much as take warning.
life blind blindness
There's none so blind as they that won't see.
hands whales amusement
Seamen have a custom, when they meet a whale, to fling him out an empty tub by way of amusement, to divert him from laying violent hands upon the ship.
horse four stranger
My horses understand me tolerably well; I converse with them at least four hours every day. They are strangers to bridle or saddle; they live in great amity with me, and friendship of each other.
wine drunk should
This wine should be eaten, it is too good to be drunk.
conceited well-said wells
Faith, that's as well said as if I had said it myself.
father good-woman cows
Polite Conversation Why, everyone one as they like; as the good woman said when she kissed her cow.
father conversation polite
Polite Conversation 'Tis happy for him, that his father was before him.
success art men
I said there was a society of men among us, bred up from their youth in the art of proving by words multiplied for the purpose, that white is black, and black is white, according as they are paid. To this society all the rest of the people are as slaves.