William Hazlitt Quotes

• The dupe of friendship, and the fool of love; have I not reason to hate and to despise myself? Indeed I do; and chiefly for not having hated and despised the world enough.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Friendship

  Tags in Despise

• Those who speak ill of the spiritual life, although they come and go by day, are like the smith’s bellows: they take breath but are not alive.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Life

  Tags in Alive, Speak, Day

• A nickname is the heaviest stone that the devil can throw at a man. It is a bugbear to the imagination, and, though we do not believe in it, it still haunts our apprehensions.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Nicknames, Stone, Devil

• There is a heroism in crime as well as in virtue. Vice and infamy have their altars and their religion.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Vice, Heroism, Infamy, Virtue, Crime

• We are very much what others think of us. The reception our observations meet with gives us courage to proceed, or damps our efforts.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Effort

  Tags in Meet, Courage

• A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Smile, Work

  Tags in Miracles

• Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Wit, Food, Conversation

• Life is the art of being well deceived; and in order that the deception may succeed it must be habitual and uninterrupted.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Art, Love

  Tags in Deception, Succeed, Order

• There is a secret pride in every human heart that revolts at tyranny. You may order and drive an individual, but you cannot make him respect you.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Heart, Pride, Tyranny, Order

• A grave blockhead should always go about with a lively one – they show one another off to the best advantage.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Grave, Lively, Company

• Those who can command themselves command others.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Leadership

  Tags in Command

• Dr. Johnson was a lazy learned man who liked to think and talk better than to read or write; who, however, wrote much and well, but too often by rote.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Wrote, Rote, Read, Lazy

• The smallest pain in our little finger gives us more concern than the destruction of millions of our fellow beings.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Pain, Finger, Millions

• Even in the common affairs of life, in love, friendship, and marriage, how little security have we when we trust our happiness in the hands of others!

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Friendship, Life, Love, Trust, Wedding

  Tags in Security, Marriage

• The person whose doors I enter with most pleasure, and quit with most regret, never did me the smallest favor.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Favors, Pleasure, Regret

• Poetry is the universal language which the heart holds with nature and itself. He who has a contempt for poetry, cannot have much respect for himself, or for anything else.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Nature

  Tags in Contempt, Poetry And Poets, Heart, Language

• A scholar is like a book written in a dead language. It is not every one that can read in it.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Scholar, Language

• We find many things to which the prohibition of them constitutes the only temptation.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Constitutes, Temptation, Many

• We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner of doing it.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Performance, Caution, Cease, Till, Manner

• To think ill of mankind and not wish ill to them, is perhaps the highest wisdom and virtue.

  William Hazlitt

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Virtue, Mankind

William Hazlitt (154)

Birth:	10th April, 1778
Death:	18th September, 1830
Nationality:	British
Profession:	Essayist, Painter, Philosopher, Writer

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