William Hazlitt Quotes about Reading

All William Hazlitt Quotes Abuse Acceptance Achievement Acting Affection Age Ambition Anger Art Belief Business Character Children Choices Common Sense Community Competition Composition Confidence Country Critics Death Deception Desire Devil Dignity Diversity Dying Earth Education Effort Envy Evil Excellence Exercise Failing Fame Fashion Fear Of Death Feelings Freedom Friends Friendship Funny Genius Giving Grace Gratitude Greatness Growth Happiness Hate Hatred Heart Honesty Hope Humanity Hurt Hypocrisy Ignorance Imagination Inspirational Intelligence Journey Joy Judging Justice Knowledge Language Laughter Leadership Learning Liberty Life Love Lying Modesty Money Monument Motivational Nature Opportunity Pain Painting Passion Peace Perfection Personality Philosophy Pleasure Poverty Power Prejudice Pride Prudence Quality Reading quotes Reflection Regret Reputation Respect Ridicule Running Science Shame Silence Sincerity Society Soul Sports Struggle Stupidity Style Success Talent Teaching Time Travel Truth Understanding Virtue Vocation Water Weakness Wealth Wit Writing Youth

If I have not read a book before, it is, for all intents and purposes, new to me whether it was printed yesterday or three hundred years ago.

If I have not read a book before, it is, for all intents and purposes, new to me whether it was printed yesterday or three hundred years ago.

William Hazlitt

Book, Reading, Years

William Hazlitt (1839). “Sketches and Essays”, p.1

When I take up a book I have read before, I know what to expect; the satisfaction is not lessened by being anticipated. I shake hands with, and look our old tried and valued friend in the face,--compare notes and chat the hour away.

William Hazlitt

Book, Reading, Hands

So I have loitered my life away, reading books, looking at pictures, going to plays, hearing, thinking, writing on what pleased me best. I have wanted only one thing to make me happy, but wanting that have wanted everything.

William Hazlitt

Life, Book, Reading

'Literary Remains' (1836) 'My First Acquaintance with Poets'

We have more faith in a well-written romance while we are reading it than in common history. The vividness of the representations in the one case more than counterbalances the mere knowledge of the truth of facts in the other.

William Hazlitt

Reading, Romance, Facts

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

By conversing with the mighty dead, we imbibe sentiment with knowledge. We become strongly attached to those who can no longer either hurt or serve us, except through the influence which they exert over the mind. We feel the presence of that power which gives immortality to human thoughts and actions, and catch the flame of enthusiasm from all nations and ages.

William Hazlitt

Hurt, Reading, Flames

William Hazlitt, Herschel Moreland Sikes, William Hallam Bonner, Gerald Lahey (1979). “The Letters of William Hazlitt”, p.224, Springer

A felon could plead "benefit of clergy" and be saved by [reading aloud] what was aptly enough termed the "neck verse", which was very usually the Miserere mei of Psalm 51.

William Hazlitt

Book, Reading, Benefits

The book-worm wraps himself up in his web of verbal generalities, and sees only the glimmering shadows of things reflected from the minds of others.

William Hazlitt

Book, Reading, Mind

William Hazlitt (1845). “Table Talk: Opinions on Books, Men, and Things”, p.46

If we wish to know the force of human genius, we should read Shakespeare. If we wish to see the insignificance of human learning, we may study his commentators.

William Hazlitt

Reading, Intelligence, Wish

William Hazlitt (1924). “Essays”