The safest principle through life, instead of reforming others, is to set about perfecting yourself. Benjamin Haydon More Quotes by Benjamin Haydon More Quotes From Benjamin Haydon 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 names winning character 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 perfection reality art There surely is in human nature an inherent propensity to extract all the good out of all the evil. Benjamin Haydon propensity human-nature evil When a man is no longer anxious to do better than well, he is done for. Benjamin Haydon get-better quality men 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 Never suffer youth to be an excuse for inadequacy, nor age and fame to be an excuse for indolence. Benjamin Haydon reputation suffering age Fortunately for serious minds, a bias recognized is a bias sterilized. Benjamin Haydon prejudice serious mind 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 evil two Mistrusts sometimes come over one's mind of the justice of God. But let a real misery come again, and to whom do we fly? To whom do we instinctively and immediately look up? Benjamin Haydon real god justice Newton's health, and confusion to mathematics. Benjamin Haydon newton mathematics confusion 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 genius done ordinary 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 The longer a man lives in this world the more he must be convinced that all domestic quarrels had better never be obtruded on the public; for, let the husband be right, or let him be wrong, there is always a sympathy existing for women which is certain to give the man the worst of it. Benjamin Haydon husband giving men 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 mercy-of-god justice believe Invention is totally independent of the will. Benjamin Haydon invention independent 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 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 chance life-is men No man, perhaps, is so wicked as to commit evil for its own sake. Evil is generally committed under the hope of some advantage the pursuit of virtue seldom obtains. Yet the most successful result of the most virtuous heroism is never without its alloy. Benjamin Haydon successful evil men It is better to make friends than adversaries of a conquered race. Benjamin Haydon adversaries friends race 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 views men
