Samuel Butler Quotes about Life
All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.
Way of All Flesh (1903) ch. 19
Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.
Speech at the Somerville Club, 27 Feb. 1895, in R. A. Streatfield Essays on Life, Art and Science (1904) p. 69
Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.
Notebooks "Life" (1912)
The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken too seriously.
Samuel Butler (1951). “Samuel Butler's notebooks”
Notebooks (1912) ch. 1
To live is like to love - all reason is against it, and all healthy instinct for it.
Notebooks (1912) ch. 14
Samuel Butler (2014). “The Notebooks of Samuel Butler”, p.440, The Floating Press
Life is like music; it must be composed by ear, feeling, and instinct, not by rule.
Samuel Butler (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Samuel Butler (Illustrated)”, p.4082, Delphi Classics
Notebooks (1912) ch. 1
Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man.
Samuel Butler (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Samuel Butler (Illustrated)”, p.4087, Delphi Classics
If life must not be taken too seriously, then so neither must death.
Samuel Butler (2015). “Delphi Complete Works of Samuel Butler (Illustrated)”, p.4374, Delphi Classics
