Samuel Johnson Quotes on Wisdom & Knowledge (27 Quotes)

To keep your secret is wisdom; but to expect others to keep it is folly.

No degree of knowledge attainable by man is able to set him above the want of hourly assistance.

As the Spanish proverb says, He who would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must carry the wealth of the Indies with him. So it is in travelling a man must carry knowledge with him, if he would bring home knowledge.

It is very natural for young men to be vehement, acrimonious and severe. For as they seldom comprehend at once all the consequences of a position, or perceive the difficulties by which cooler and more experienced reasoners are restrained from confidence, they form their conclusions with great precipitance. Seeing nothing that can darken or embarrass the question, they expect to find their own opinion universally prevalent, and are inclined to impute uncertainty and hesitation to want of honesty, rather than of knowledge.

Knowledge of the subject is to the poet what durable materials are to the architect.

Between falsehood and useless truth there is little difference. As gold which he cannot spend will make no man rich, so knowledge which cannot apply will make no man wise.

Knowledge is more than equivalent to force. The master of mechanics laughs at strength.

Our desires always increase with our possessions. The knowledge that something remains yet unenjoyed impairs our enjoyment of the good before us.

Knowledge always desires increase it is like fire, which must first be kindled by some external agent, But which will afterwards propagate itself.

Deign on the passing world to turn thine eyes, And pause a while from learning to be wise. There mark what ills the scholar's life assail, Toil, envy, want, the patron, and the jail.

Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.

Man is not weak knowledge is more than equivalent to force.

Fears of the brave, and follies of the wise From Marlbroughs eyes the streams of dotage flow, And Swift expires, a driv'ler and a show.

More knowledge may be gained of a man's real character by a short conversation with one of his servants than from a formal and studied narrative, begun with his pedigree and ended with his funeral.

It is common for controversists, in the heat of disputation, to add one position to another till they reach the extremities of knowledge, where truth and falsehood lose their distinction

Knowledge always demands increase it is like fire, which must first be kindled by some external agent, but will afterwards always propagate itself.

To let friendship die away by negligence and silence is certainly not wise. It is voluntarily to throw away one of the greatest comforts of the weary pilgrimage.

The mental disease of the present generation is impatience of study, contempt of the great masters of ancient wisdom, And a disposition to rely wholly upon unassisted genius and natural sagacity.

Beauty has often overpowered the resolutions of the firm, and the reasonings of the wise, roused the old to sensibility, and subdued the rigorous to softness.

Turn on the prudent ant thy heedful eyes, Observe her labours, sluggard, and be wise.

Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful.

Leisure and curiosity might soon make great advances in useful knowledge, were they not diverted by minute emulation and laborious trifles.

Old Times have bequeathed us a precept To be merry and wise, But who has been able to observe it.

Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise.

He that never thinks never can be wise.

Let me smile with the wise, and feed with the rich.

All knowledge is of itself of some value. There is nothing so minute or inconsiderable, that I would not rather know it than not.