Of all eloquence a nickname is the most concise; of all arguments the most unanswerable. William Hazlitt More Quotes by William Hazlitt More Quotes From William Hazlitt Every man, in judging of himself, is his own contemporary. He may feel the gale of popularity, but he cannot tell how long it will last. His opinion of himself wants distance, wants time, wants numbers, to set it off and confirm it. William Hazlitt distancenumbersmen Every man depends on the quantity of sense, wit, or good manners he brings into society for the reception he meets with in it. William Hazlitt good-mansocietymen Any one may mouth out a passage with a theatrical cadence, or get upon stilts to tell his thoughts; but to write or speak with propriety and simplicity is a more difficult task. Thus it is easy to affect a pompous style, to use a word twice as big as the thing you want to express; it is not so easy to pitch upon the very word that exactly fits it. William Hazlitt simplicitystylewriting Dandyism is a variety of genius. William Hazlitt dandyismvarietygenius Or have I passed my time in pouring words like water into empty sieves, rolling a stone up a hill and then down again, trying to prove an argument in the teeth of facts, and looking for causes in the dark, and not finding them? William Hazlitt darktryingwater To think justly, we must understand what others mean. To know the value of our thoughts, we must try their effect on other minds. William Hazlitt justicemeanthinking Familiarity confounds all traits of distinction; interest and prejudice take away the power of judging. William Hazlitt prejudicejudgingjustice Poetry is only the highest eloquence of passion, the most vivid form of expression that can be given to our conception of anything, whether pleasurable or painful, mean or dignified, delightful or distressing. It is the perfect coincidence of the image and the words with the feeling we have, and of which we cannot get rid in any other way, that gives an instant "satisfaction to the thought." This is equally the origin of wit and fancy, of comedy and tragedy, of the sublime and pathetic. William Hazlitt passionwritingmean Religion either makes men wise and virtuous, or it makes them set up false pretenses to both. William Hazlitt hypocrisywisemen As hypocrisy is said to be the highest compliment to virtue, the art of lying is the strongest acknowledgment of the force of truth. William Hazlitt hypocrisylyingart He is a hypocrite who professes what he does not believe; not he who does not practice all he wishes or approves. William Hazlitt hypocritepracticebelieve Without life there can be no action — no objects of pursuit — no restless desires — no tormenting passions. Hence it is that we fondly cling to it — that we dread its termination as the close, not of enjoyment, but of hope. William Hazlitt enjoymenthopeexpectations This is the test and triumph of originality, not to show us what has never been, and what we may therefore very easily never have dreamt of, but to point out to us what is before our eyes and under our feet, though we have had no suspicion of its existence, for want of sufficient strength of intuition, of determined grasp of mind to seize and retain it. William Hazlitt intuitioneyefeet Fashion is the abortive issue of vain ostentation and exclusive egotism ... tied to no rule, and bound to conform to every whim of the minute. William Hazlitt clothesissuesfashion Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects, and discovering other people's weaknesses. William Hazlitt peopleknowledgeart The assumption of merit is easier, less embarrassing, and more effectual than the actual attainment of it. William Hazlitt meritassumptiongenius The wretched are in this respect fortunate, that they have the strongest yearning after happiness; and to desire is in some sense to enjoy. William Hazlitt desirejoyhappiness Natural affection is a prejudice; for though we have cause to love our nearest connections better than others, we have no reason to think them better than others. William Hazlitt connectionsfriendshipthinking There is no flattery so adroit or effectual as that of implicit assent. William Hazlitt implicitflattery One is always more vexed at losing a game of any sort by a single hole or ace, than if one has never had a chance of winning it. William Hazlitt failuregameswinning
