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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.

“The incentive to ambition is the love of power.”

— William Hazlitt

Power

All Quotes by William Hazlitt

“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

“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

“If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory.”

— William Hazlitt

Faith

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

— William Hazlitt

Peace

“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

Imagination

“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

Friendship

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

— William Hazlitt

Travel

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

— William Hazlitt

Best

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

— William Hazlitt

Wisdom

“There are no rules for friendship. It must be left to itself. We cannot force it any more than love.”

— William Hazlitt

Friendship

“It is not fit that every man should travel it makes a wise man better, and a fool worse.”

— William Hazlitt

Travel

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

— William Hazlitt

Alone

“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

“Do not keep on with a mockery of friendship after the substance is gone - but part, while you can part friends. Bury the carcass of friendship: it is not worth embalming.”

— William Hazlitt

Friendship

“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

“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

“There are few things in which we deceive ourselves more than in the esteem we profess to entertain for our firends. It is little better than a piece of quackery. The truth is, we think of them as we please, that is, as they please or displease us.”

— William Hazlitt

Truth

“Poetry is all that is worth remembering in life.”

— William Hazlitt

Poetry

“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

“Zeal will do more than knowledge.”

— William Hazlitt

Knowledge