Jonathan Swift Quotes About Literature

Quotes about: Literature

• When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.

  Jonathan Swift

  Funny, Education, Truth

  "Biography/ Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

• Promises and pie-crust are made to be broken.

  Jonathan Swift

  Broken Heart, Food, Pie

  1738 Polite Conversation.

• Power is no blessing in itself, except when it is used to protect the innocent.

  Jonathan Swift

  Blessed, Blessing, Power

• I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.

  Jonathan Swift

  Men, Evil, Guilt

  Jonathan Swift (1850). “The Works of Jonathan Swift: Containing Interesting and Valuable Papers, Not Hitherto Published ; with a Memoir of the Author”, p.307

• It is the folly of too many to mistake the echo of a London coffee-house for the voice of the kingdom.

  Jonathan Swift

  Mistake, Coffee, Echoes

  Jonathan Swift, Sir Walter Scott (1824). “-5. Tracts, historical and political, during the reign of Queen Anne”, p.365

• The proper words in the proper places are the true definition of style.

  Jonathan Swift

  Style, Literature, Definitions

• One enemy can do more hurt than ten friends can do good.

  Jonathan Swift

  Hurt, Military, Enemy

  Jonathan Swift, John Hawkesworth, Deane Swift (1768). “Letters Written By The Late Jonathan Swift, D. D. Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin; And Several Of His Friends: From The Year 1703 To 1740”, p.174

• A tavern is a place where madness is sold by the bottle.

  Jonathan Swift

  Drinking, Bottles, Literature

• Censure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent.

  Jonathan Swift

  Men, Pay, Literature

  Jonathan Swift (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Jonathan Swift (Illustrated)”, p.896, Delphi Classics

• There is nothing in this world constant, but inconstancy.

  Jonathan Swift

  Literature, World, Constant

  'A Critical Essay upon the Faculties of the Mind' (1709)

• Although men are accused of not knowing their own weakness, yet perhaps few know their own strength. It is in men as in soils, where sometimes there is a vein of gold which the owner knows not of.

  Jonathan Swift

  Strength, Men, Knowing

  Jonathan Swift (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Jonathan Swift (Illustrated)”, p.896, Delphi Classics

• It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done before, may legally be done again: and therefore they take special care to record all the decisions formerly made against common justice and the general reason of mankind.

  Jonathan Swift

  Justice, Decision, Special

  Jonathan Swift, Dutton Kearney, Joseph Pearce (2010). “Gulliver's Travels”, p.279, Ignatius Press

• There are few, very few, that will own themselves in a mistake.

  Jonathan Swift

  Mistake, Literature

  Jonathan Swift, Sir Walter Scott (1814). “The Works of Jonathan Swift: Miscellaneous essays”, p.214

• Nothing is so hard for those who abound in riches as to conceive how others can be in want.

  Jonathan Swift

  Friendship, Family, Wisdom

  Jonathan Swift (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Jonathan Swift (Illustrated)”, p.1168, Delphi Classics

• Invention is the talent of youth, as judgment is of age.

  Jonathan Swift

  Judging, Age, Literature

• Good manners is the art of making those people easy with whom we converse. Whoever makes the fewest people uneasy is the best bred in the room.

  Jonathan Swift

  Art, People, Literature

• Don't set your wit against a child.

  Jonathan Swift

  Education, Teacher, Children

  Jonathan Swift (1803). “The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, D.D. ... : with Notes, Historical and Critical”, p.279

• What they do in heaven we are ignorant of; what they do not do we are told expressly.

  Jonathan Swift

  Heaven, Ignorant, Literature

  'Thoughts on Various Subjects' (1706).

• Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own.

  Jonathan Swift

  Sarcastic, Sarcasm, Glasses

  'The Battle of the Books' (1704) preface

• Vanity is a mark of humility rather than of pride.

  Jonathan Swift

  Humility, Pride, Vanity

  Jonathan Swift, Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols (1808). “Works”, p.443

• Under this window in stormy weather I marry this man and woman together; Let none but Him who rules the thunder Put this man and woman asunder.

  Jonathan Swift

  Men, Weather, Together

• He was a fiddler, and consequently a rogue.

  Jonathan Swift

  Literature, Rogues, Fiddlers

  1711 Journal to Stella, 25 July.

• Interest is the spur of the people, but glory that of great souls. Invention is the talent of youth, and judgment of age.

  Jonathan Swift

  Birthday, People, Soul

• Principally I hate and detest that animal called man; although I heartily love John, Peter, Thomas, and so forth.

  Jonathan Swift

  Hate, Animal, Men

  Letter to Alexander Pope, 29 Sept. 1725

• The power of fortune is confessed only by the miserable, for the happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.

  Jonathan Swift

  Success, Congratulations, Sadness

  Jonathan Swift, Sir Walter Scott (1814). “The Works of Jonathan Swift: Miscellaneous essays”, p.436

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