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William Hazlitt

52 quotes

William Hazlitt (1778–1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, and philosopher. Regarded as one of the greatest critics and essayists in the English language, Hazlitt wrote with passionate conviction on art, literature, politics, and the pleasures and frustrations of everyday life.

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“Defoe says that there were a hundred thousand country fellows in his time ready to fight to the death against popery, without knowing whether popery was a man or a horse.”

— William Hazlitt

Death

All Quotes by William Hazlitt

“Anyone who has passed though the regular gradations of a classical education, and is not made a fool by it, may consider himself as having had a very narrow escape.”

— William Hazlitt

Education

“Grace in women has more effect than beauty.”

— William Hazlitt

Beauty

“We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.”

— William Hazlitt

Nature

“Hope is the best possession. None are completely wretched but those who are without hope. Few are reduced so low as that.”

— William Hazlitt

Best

“The art of pleasing consists in being pleased.”

— William Hazlitt

Art

“Rules and models destroy genius and art.”

— William Hazlitt

Art

“The seat of knowledge is in the head of wisdom, in the heart. We are sure to judge wrong, if we do not feel right.”

— William Hazlitt

Knowledge

“To be capable of steady friendship or lasting love, are the two greatest proofs, not only of goodness of heart, but of strength of mind.”

— William Hazlitt

Friendship

“You know more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world.”

— William Hazlitt

Travel

“The humblest painter is a true scholar and the best of scholars the scholar of nature.”

— William Hazlitt

Best

“Prosperity is a great teacher adversity a greater.”

— William Hazlitt

Teacher

“Love turns, with a little indulgence, to indifference or disgust hatred alone is immortal.”

— William Hazlitt

Alone

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

— William Hazlitt

Art

“An honest man speaks the truth, though it may give offence a vain man, in order that it may.”

— William Hazlitt

Truth

“The most insignificant people are the most apt to sneer at others. They are safe from reprisals. And have no hope of rising in their own self esteem but by lowering their neighbors.”

— William Hazlitt

Hope

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

— William Hazlitt

Wisdom

“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

Nature

“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

Respect

“Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves.”

— William Hazlitt

Peace

“I would like to spend the whole of my life traveling, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend at home.”

— William Hazlitt

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