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
english-critic great himself man truly
No truly great man ever thought himself so.
clock constantly man mind requires running wound
The mind of man is like a clock that is always running down, and requires constantly to be wound up
contented estimated generality instead mankind possess
The generality of mankind are contented to be estimated by what they possess instead of what they are.
animal anxious bigger cannot dimensions grasp individual infinite man narrow object wishes within
Man is an individual animal with narrow faculties, but infinite desires, which he is anxious to concentrate in some one object within the grasp of his imagination, and where, if he cannot be all that he wishes himself, he may at least contemplate his own pride, vanity, and passions, displayed in their most extravagant dimensions in a being no bigger and no better than himself.
admit concern himself knows last man neither nor proud truly
The truly proud man knows neither superiors nor inferiors. The first he does not admit of; the last he does not concern himself about.
converts good man proud satisfied seek truly
The truly proud man is satisfied with his own good opinion, and does not seek to make converts to it.
barren beyond cold combined coming distant edge faint feeling hear hill imaginary manner mind rocks seems shelter sound together top warm whistle woody
If from the top of a long cold barren hill I hear the distant whistle of a thrush which seems to come up from some warm woody shelter beyond the edge of the hill, this sound coming faint over the rocks with a mingled feeling of strangeness and joy, the idea of the place about me, and the imaginary one beyond will all be combined together in such a manner in my mind as to become inseparable.
duty general good immediate man owes portion special
Right, in a word, is the duty which each man owes to himself; or it is that portion of the general good of which (as being principally interested) he is made the special judge, and which is put under his immediate keeping.
believes die man shall
No young man believes he shall ever die
comedy constantly destroys exposing follies food itself laughing leaves mankind naturally weaknesses wears worth
Comedy naturally wears itself out -- destroys the very food on which it lives; and by constantly and successfully exposing the follies and weaknesses of mankind to ridicule, in the end leaves itself nothing worth laughing at.
choice man virtue
A man must make his choice not only between virtue and vice, but between different virtues.
talked wished
He talked on for ever; and you wished him to talk on for ever.
confession deficiency himself justly lowest modesty
Modesty is the lowest of the virtues, and is a confession of the deficiency it indicates. He who undervalues himself is justly overvalued by others.
english-critic faith necessary
If you think you can win, you can. Faith is necessary to victory.