What an insignificant life is this which I am now leading!

In every picture there should be shade as well as light.

The pleasure of gratifying whim is very great. It is known only by those who are whimsical.

Melancholy cannot be clearly proved to others, so it is better to be silent about it.

If a man who is born to a fortune cannot make himself easier and freer than those who are not, he gains nothing.

I suppose no person ever enjoyed with more relish the infusion of that fragrant leaf than Johnson.

Writing a book I have found to be like building a house. A man forms a plan, and collects materials. He thinks he has enough to raise a large and stately edifice; but after he has arranged, compacted and polished, his work turns out to be a very small performance. The authour however like the builder, knows how much labour his work has cost him; and therefore estimates it at a higher rate than other people think it deserves