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
real humility modesty
Modesty is the lowest of the virtues, and is a real confession of the deficiency it indicates. He who undervalues himself is justly undervalued by others.
men excellence perception
Men of the greatest genius are not always the most prodigal of their encomiums. But then it is when their range of power is confined, and they have in fact little perception, except of their own particular kind of excellence.
art silence quality
Silence is one great art of conversation. He is not a fool who knows when to hold his tongue; and a person may gain credit for sense, eloquence, wit, who merely says nothing to lessen the opinion which others have of these qualities in themselves.
lying faces opinion
Our opinions are not our own, but in the power of sympathy. If a person tells us a palpable falsehood, we not only dare not contradict him, but we dare hardly disbelieve him to his face. A lie boldly uttered has the effect of truth for the instant.
people quality common
Wit is the rarest quality to be met with among people of education, and the most common among the uneducated.
fashion clothes trying
What is popular is not necessarily vulgar; and that which we try to rescue from fatal obscurity had in general much better remain where it is.
cannot good great management miss opportunity saying trusted
Those who cannot miss an opportunity of saying a good thing . . . are not to be trusted with the management of any great question.
thinking fool knavery
A knave thinks himself a fool, all the time he is not making a fool of some other person.
mean thinking justice
To think justly, we must understand what others mean. To know the value of our thoughts, we must try their effect on other minds.
art science men
No man can thoroughly master more than one art or science.
art real ignorance
Wonder at the first sight of works of art may be the effect of ignorance and novelty; but real admiration and permanent delight in them are the growth of taste and knowledge.
art great silence
Silence is the one great art of conversation.
art expression pleasure
The amiable is the voluptuous in expression or manner. The sense of pleasure in ourselves is that which excites it in others; or, the art of pleasing is to seem pleased.
art communication silence
Silence is one great art of conversation.