Benjamin Haydon Quotes

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• Art is a reality, not a definition; inasmuch as it approaches a reality, it approaches perfection, and inasmuch as it approaches a mere definition, it is imperfect and untrue.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Art, Reality, Perfection

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.255

  45 Copy quote

• The great difficulty is first to win a reputation; the next to keep it while you live; and the next to preserve it after you die, when affection and interest are over, and nothing but sterling excellence can preserve your name. Never suffer youth to be an excuse for inadequacy, nor age and fame to be an excuse for indolence.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Character, Winning, Names

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.467

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• Fortunately for serious minds, a bias recognized is a bias sterilized.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Mind, Prejudice, Serious

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• The safest principle through life, instead of reforming others, is to set about perfecting yourself.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Inspirational, Life, Self Improvement

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1853). “Life of Benjamin Robert Haydon, historical painter”, p.52

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• Never suffer youth to be an excuse for inadequacy, nor age and fame to be an excuse for indolence.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Suffering, Age, Reputation

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.467

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• When a man is no longer anxious to do better than well, he is done for.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Men, Quality, Get Better

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1876). “Benjamin Robert Haydon: Correspondence and Table-talk”, p.413

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• Never disregard what your enemies say. They may be severe, they may be prejudiced, they may be determined to see only in one direction, but still in that direction see clearly. They do not speak all the truth, but they generally speak the truth from one point of view; so far as that goes, attend to them.

  Benjamin Haydon

  One Direction, Views, Enemy

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• Temperance in everything is requisite for happiness.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Temperance

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1876). “Benjamin Robert Haydon: Correspondence and Table-talk”, p.257

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• The greatest geniuses have always attributed everything to God, as if conscious of being possessed of a spark of His divinity.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Genius, Divinity, Sparks

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1876). “Benjamin Robert Haydon: Correspondence and Table-talk”, p.336

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• There surely is in human nature an inherent propensity to extract all the good out of all the evil.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Evil, Human Nature, Propensity

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1853). “Life of Benjamin Robert Haydon, historical painter”, p.472

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• Genius is nothing more than common faculties refined to a greater intensity. There are no astonishing ways of doing astonishing things. All astonishing things are done by ordinary materials.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Ordinary, Genius, Done

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.311

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• There must be more malice than love in the hearts of all wits.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Heart, Wit, Malice

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1859). “Life of Benjamin Robert Haydon, Historical Painter: From His Autobiography and Jounals”, p.469

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• Genius in poverty is never feared, because nature, though liberal in her gifts in one instance, is forgetful in another.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Genius, Poverty, Never Fear

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• Danger is the very basis of superstition. It produces a searching after help supernaturally when human means are no longer supposed to be available.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Mean, Superstitions, Helping

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1876). “Benjamin Robert Haydon: Correspondence and Table-talk”, p.409

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• The explanation of the propensity of the English people to portrait painting is to be found in their relish for a Fact. Let a man do the grandest things, fight the greatest battles, or be distinguished by the most brilliant personal heroism, yet the English people would prefer his portrait to a painting of the great deed. The likeness they can judge of; his existence is a Fact. But the truth of the picture of his deeds they cannot judge of, for they have no imagination.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Fighting, Men, People

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• Nothing is difficult; it is only we who are indolent.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Indolence, Difficult

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.270

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• Some persons are so devotional they have not one bit of true religion in them.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Devotional, True Religion, Persons

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1876). “Benjamin Robert Haydon: Correspondence and Table-talk”, p.251

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• It is highly convenient to believe in the infinite mercy of God when you feel the need of mercy, but remember also his infinite justice.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Believe, Mercy Of God, Justice

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1876). “Benjamin Robert Haydon: Correspondence and Table-talk”, p.268

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• This is an age of intellectual sauces, of essence, of distillation. We have conclusions without deductions, abridgments of history and abridgments of science without leading facts. We have animals for literature, Cabinet Encyclopaedias, Family Libraries, Diffusion Societies, and heaven knows what else! What is all this for? Not to add knowledge to the learned, but to tell points to the ignorant, without giving them the trouble to acquire the links. Oh! it is sad work. And the result will be injurious to all classes.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Animal, Essence, Class

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.450

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• All government is an evil, but, of the two form's of that evil, democracy or monarchy, the sounder is monarchy; the more able to do its will, democracy.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Government, Two, Evil

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.259

  7 Copy quote

• Newton's health, and confusion to mathematics.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Confusion, Newton, Mathematics

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1853). “Life of Benjamin Robert Haydon, historical painter”, p.340

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• To procrastinate seems inherent in man, for if you do to-day that you may enjoy to-morrow it is but deferring the enjoyment; so that to be idle or industrious, vicious or virtuous, is but with a view of procrastinating the one or the other.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Procrastination, Men, Views

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.294

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• Never let your love for your profession overshadow your religious feeling. Depend on it that religion will strengthen, not weaken, your energies, and will not only make you a better sailor, but a superior man. Professional studies are not to be neglected; but, on the other hand, take care how you fall into the common error of believing they are the remedy for all the ills of life.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Religious, Believe, Fall

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.444

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• If men would only take the chances of doing right because it is right, instead of the immediate certainty of the advantage of doing wrong, how much happier would their lives be.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Men, Chance, Life Is

  Benjamin Robert Haydon (1876). “Benjamin Robert Haydon: Correspondence and Table-talk”, p.418

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• We are a compound of both here and hereafter; we shall be made responsible for the actions of both while here. Anything beyond this is beyond our power to prove, and would be of no real value if we could.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Real, Responsibility, Would Be

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