William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt
William Hazlittwas an English writer, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. He is also acknowledged as the finest art critic of his age. Despite his high standing among historians of literature and art, his work is currently little read and mostly out of print...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionCritic
Date of Birth10 April 1778
cities ideas numbers
The number of objects we see from living in a large city amuses the mind like a perpetual raree-show, without supplying it with any ideas.
sight expression imagination
Love at first sight is only realizing an imagination that has always haunted us; or meeting with a face, a figure, or cast of expression in perfection that we have seen and admired in a less degree or in less favorable circumstances a hundred times before.
confidence yield spirit
There is something captivating in spirit and intrepidity, to which, we often yield as to a resistless power; nor can he reasonably expect, the confidence of others who too apparently distrusts himself.
our-words belief action
Sincerity has to do with the connexion between our words and thoughts, and not between our beliefs and actions.
revenge accomplishment suffering
By retaliating our sufferings on the heads of those we love, we get rid of a present uneasiness and incur lasting remorse. With the accomplishment of our revenge our fondness returns; so that we feel the injury we have done them, even more than they do.
wise men levels
Society is a more level surface than we imagine. Wise men or absolute fools are hard to be met with, as there are few giants or dwarfs.
cowardice valor prudence
Cowardice is not synonymous with prudence. It often happens that the better part of discretion is valor.
genius dandyism species
Dandyism is a species of genius.
competition triumph ends
Death puts an end to rivalship and competition. The dead can boast no advantage over us, nor can we triumph over them.
strong stars real
As a general rule, those who are dissatisfied with themselves will seek to go out of themselves into an ideal world. Persons in strong health and spirits, who take plenty of air and exercise, who are "in favor with, their stars," and have a thorough relish of the good things of this life, seldom devote themselves in despair to religion or the muses. Sedentary, nervous, hypochondriacal people, on the contrary, are forced, for want of an appetite for the real and substantial, to look out for a more airy food and speculative comforts.
power men tyrants
The admiration of power in others is as common to man as the love of it in himself; the one makes him a tyrant, the other a slave.
work doe executing
He who does nothing renders himself incapable of doing any thing; but while we are executing any work, we are preparing and qualifying ourselves to undertake another.
funny humour wit
Humour is the making others act or talk absurdly and unconsciously; wit is the pointing out and ridiculing that absurdity consciously, and with more or less ill-nature.
silence benefits sides
A lively blockhead in company is a public benefit. Silence or dulness by the side of folly looks like wisdom.