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William Hazlitt Quotes - Page 23

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Humanity is to be met with in a den of robbers.

Humanity is to be met with in a den of robbers.

William Hazlitt
Humanity, Dens, Mets
William Hazlitt (1871). “The Round Table. A collection of Essays ... By W. H. and Leigh Hunt”, p.518

An honest man is respected by all parties.

William Hazlitt
Honesty, Party, Men
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.1485, Delphi Classics

Vanity does not refer to the opinion a man entertains of himself, but to that which he wishes others to entertain of him.

William Hazlitt
Men, Vanity, Wish
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.1480, Delphi Classics

Vice is man's nature: virtue is a habit--or a mask.

William Hazlitt
Men, Vices, Virtue
William Hazlitt (1871). “The Round Table. A collection of Essays ... By W. H. and Leigh Hunt”, p.527

However we may flatter ourselves to the contrary, our friends think no higher of us than the world do. They see us through the jaundiced or distrustful eyes of others. They may know better, but their feelings are governed by popular prejudice. Nay, they are more shy of us (when under a cloud) than even strangers; for we involve them in a common disgrace, or compel them to embroil themselves in continual quarrels and disputes in our defense.

William Hazlitt
Eye, Thinking, Clouds
William Hazlitt (2008). “Liber Amoris and Related Writings”, Carcanet Press

Life is the art of being well deceived.

William Hazlitt
Art, Deceived Us, Deception
William Hazlitt (1817). “The Round Table: A Collection of Essays on Literature, Men and Manners”, p.36

The great have private feelings of their own, to which the interests of humanity and justice must curtsy. Their interests are so far from being the same as those of the community, that they are in direct and necessary opposition to them; their power is at the expense of OUR weakness; their riches of OUR poverty; their pride of OUR degradation; their splendour of OUR wretchedness; their tyranny of OUR servitude.

William Hazlitt
Pride, Justice, Community
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.411, Delphi Classics

Wrong dressed out in pride, pomp, and circumstance has more attraction than abstract right.

William Hazlitt
Pride, Abstract, Circumstances
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.979, Delphi Classics

No man can thoroughly master more than one art or science.

William Hazlitt
Art, Science, Men
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.261, Delphi Classics

That humanity and sincerity which dispose men to resist injustice and tyranny render them unfit to cope with the cunning and power of those who are opposed to them. The friends of liberty trust to the professions of others because they are themselves sincere, and endeavour to secure the public good with the least possible hurt to its enemies, who have no regard to anything but their own unprincipled ends, and stick at nothing to accomplish them.

William Hazlitt
Hurt, Men, Humanity
William Hazlitt (2016). “Characters of Shakespeare's Plays”, p.48, William Hazlitt

Weakness has its hidden resources, as well as strength. There is a degree of folly and meanness which we cannot calculate upon, and by which we are as much liable to be foiled as by the greatest ability or courage.

William Hazlitt
Weakness, Degrees, Liable
William Hazlitt, William Ernest Henley (1902). “The Collected Works of William Hazlitt: Memoirs of Thomas Holcroft. Liber amoris. Characteristics”

Our notions with respect to the importance of life, and our attachment to it, depend on a principle which has very little to do with its happiness or its misery. The love of life is, in general, the effect not of our enjoyments, but of our passions.

William Hazlitt
Passion, Love Life, Attachment
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.170, Delphi Classics

Any woman may act the part of a coquette successfully who has the reputation without the scruples of modesty. If a woman passes the bounds of propriety for our sakes, and throws herself unblushingly at our heads, we conclude it is either from a sudden and violent liking, or from extraordinary merit on our parts, either of which is enough to turn any man's head who has a single spark of gallantry or vanity in his composition.

William Hazlitt
Women, Vanity, Coquette

It is well there is no one without fault; for he would not have a friend in the world. He would seem to belong to s different species.

William Hazlitt
Optimistic, Different, World
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.1473, Delphi Classics

We talk little when we do not talk about ourselves.

William Hazlitt
Littles, Speakers

The truth is, we pamper little griefs into great ones, and bear great ones as well as we can.

William Hazlitt
Grief, Littles, Bears
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.1256, Delphi Classics

The thing is plain. All that men really understand, is confined to a very small compass; to their daily affairs and experience; to what they have an opportunity to know, and motives to study or practice. The rest is affectation and imposture.

William Hazlitt
Opportunity, Men, Practice
William Hazlitt (1845). “Table Talk: Opinions on Books, Men, and Things”, p.51

Envy is the most universal passion. We only pride ourselves on the qualities we possess, or think we possess; but we envy the pretensions we have, and those which we have not, and do not even wish for. We envy the greatest qualities and every trifling advantage. We envy the most ridiculous appearance or affectation of superiority. We envy folly and conceit; nay, we go so far as to envy whatever confers distinction of notoriety, even vice and infamy.

William Hazlitt
Passion, Pride, Thinking
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.1466, Delphi Classics

There are many who talk on from ignorance rather than from knowledge, and who find the former an inexhaustible fund of conversation.

William Hazlitt
Ignorance, Ignorant, Conversation
William Hazlitt (1837). “Characteristics: in the manner of Rochefoucault's Maxims [by W. Hazlitt].”, p.77

What passes in the world for talent or dexterity or enterprise is often only a want of moral principle. We may succeed where others fail, not from a greater share of invention, but from not being nice in the choice of expedients.

William Hazlitt
Nice, Choices, Principles
William Hazlitt (1871). “The Round Table. A collection of Essays ... By W. H. and Leigh Hunt”, p.468

A certain excess of animal spirits with thoughtless good-humor will often make more enemies than the most deliberate spite and ill-nature, which is on its guard, and strikes with caution and safety.

William Hazlitt
Animal, Safety, Enemy

To speak highly of one with whom we are intimate is a species of egotism. Our modesty as well as our jealousy teaches us caution on this subject.

William Hazlitt
Modesty, Speak, Intimate
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.1464, Delphi Classics

It is a false principle that because we are entirely occupied with ourselves, we must equally occupy the thoughts of others. The contrary inference is the fair one.

William Hazlitt
Principles, Inference, Egotism
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.1492, Delphi Classics

It is remarkable how virtuous and generously disposed every one is at a play.

William Hazlitt
Drama, Play, Remarkable
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.1501, Delphi Classics

Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.

William Hazlitt
Pride
William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.2096, Delphi Classics

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