Samuel Johnson Quotes about Success

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.

Samuel Johnson

Success, Portraits, Persons

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.

Samuel Johnson

Inspirational, Success, Respect

What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence.

Samuel Johnson

Success, Dance, Life And Love

Samuel Johnson (1831). “The Lives of the English Poets: With Critical Observations on Their Works and Lives of Sundry Eminent Persons”, p.47

Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties.

Samuel Johnson

Success, Work, Pleasure

Samuel Johnson (1848). “The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler”, p.132

Every man is rich or poor according to the proportion between his desires and his enjoyments.

Samuel Johnson

Happiness, Success, Men

Samuel Johnson, Arthur Murphy (1840). “The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: With an Essay on His Life and Genius /c by Arthur Murphy, Esq”, p.249

Disappointment, when it involves neither shame nor loss, is as good as success; for it supplies as many images to the mind, and as many topics to the tongue.

Samuel Johnson

Success, Disappointment, Loss

Samuel Johnson (1836). “Johnsoniana; or supplement to Boswell; being Anecdotes and sayings of Dr. Johnson, etc”, p.105

Prudence operates on life in the same manner as rule of composition; it produces vigilance rather than elevation; rather prevents loss than procures advantage; and often miscarriages, but seldom reaches either power or honor.

Samuel Johnson

Life, Success, Miscarriage

Good sense alone is a sedate and quiescent quality, which manages its possessions well, but does not increase them; it collects few materials for its own operations, and preserves safety, but never gains supremacy.

Samuel Johnson

Happiness, Success, Safety

Samuel Johnson, William Hazlitt (1854). “Johnson's Lives of the British poets completed by W. Hazlitt”, p.220