Samuel Richardson famous quotes

Where words are restrained, the eyes often talk a great deal.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Eye #Deals

Every one, more or less, loves Power, yet those who most wish for it are seldom the fittest to be trusted with it.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Wish #Power Of Love #Trusted

A good man, though he will value his own countrymen, yet will think as highly of the worthy men of every nation under the sun.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Thinking #Good Man

People of little understanding are most apt to be angry when their sense is called into question.
-- Samuel Richardson

#People #Hatred #Understanding

Vast is the field of Science... the more a man knows, the more he will find he has to know.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Fields

Necessity may well be called the mother of invention but calamity is the test of integrity.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Mother #Integrity #May

Those who have least to do are generally the most busy people in the world.
-- Samuel Richardson

#People #World #Busy

Calamity is the test of integrity.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Inspirational #Motivational #Leadership

For the human mind is seldom at stay: If you do not grow better, you will most undoubtedly grow worse.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Integrity #Stay Positive #Mind

If the education and studies of children were suited to their inclinations and capacities, many would be made useful members of society that otherwise would make no figure in it.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Children #Educational #Would Be

A beautiful woman must expect to be more accountable for her steps, than one less attractive.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Beautiful #Beautiful Women #Steps

Love will draw an elephant through a key-hole.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Love #Keys #Elephants

Men will bear many things from a kept mistress, which they would not bear from a wife.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Wife #Mistress

People hardly ever do anything in anger, of which they do not repent.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Anger #People #Repent

Whom we fear more than love, we are not far from hating.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Fear #Hate #Hatred

An acquaintance with the muses, in the education of youth, contributes not a little to soften manners. It gives a delicate turn to the imagination and a polish to the mind.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Education #Giving #Imagination

That cruelty which children are permitted to show to birds and other animals will most probably exert itself on their fellow creatures when at years of maturity.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Children #Maturity #Animal

It is but shaping the bribe to the taste, and every one has his price.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Taste #Bribe #Avarice

Chastity, like piety, is a uniform grace.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Grace #Uniforms #Chastity

Women are sometimes drawn in to believe against probability by the unwillingness they have to doubt their own merit.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Believe #Doubt #Merit

Honesty is good sense, politeness, amiableness,--all in one.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Honesty #Politeness

What pity that Religion and Love, which heighten our relish for the things of both worlds, should ever run the human heart into enthusiasm, superstition, or uncharitableness!
-- Samuel Richardson

#Running #Heart #Religion

Marriage is the highest state of friendship. If happy, it lessens our cares by dividing them, at the same time that it doubles our pleasures by mutual participation.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Inspirational #Marriage #Care

Humility is a grace that shines in a high condition but cannot, equally, in a low one because a person in the latter is already, perhaps, too much humbled.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Humility #Shining #Grace

Rakes are more suspicious than honest men.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Rakes #Honest

Superstitious notions propagated in infancy are hardly ever totally eradicate, not even in minds grown strong enough to despise the like credulous folly in others.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Strong #Mind #Enough

He only who gave life has a power over it.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Suicide #Over It

Evil courses can yield pleasure no longer than while thought and reflection can be kept off.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Reflection #Yield #Evil

Platonic love is platonic nonsense.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Love #Nonsense #Platonic

Air and manners are more expressive than words.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Air #Manners #Expressive

Too liberal self-accusations are generally but so many traps for acquittal with applause.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Self #Accusation #Traps

The readiness with which women are apt to forgive the men who have deceived other women; and that inconsiderate notion of too many of them that a reformed rake makes the best husband, are great encouragements to vile men to continue their profligacy.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Encouragement #Husband #Forgiving

All angry persons are to be treated, by the prudent, as children.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Children #Anger #Prudent

A prudent person, having to do with a designing one, will always distrust most when appearances are fairest.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Design #Prudent #Appearance

The laws were not made so much for the direction of good men, as to circumscribe the bad.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Law #Good Man

The Cause of Women is generally the Cause of Virtue.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Causes #Virtue

There are men who think themselves too wise to be religious.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Wise #Religious #Thinking

Great allowances ought to be made for the petulance of persons laboring under ill-health.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Petulance #Allowance #Made

There hardly can be a greater difference between any two men, than there too often is, between the same man, a lover and a husband.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Husband #Men #Two

The World, thinking itself affronted by superior merit, takes delight to bring it down to its own level.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Thinking #Levels #Merit

The seeds of Death are sown in us when we begin to live, and grow up till, like rampant weeds, they choak the tender flower of life.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Death #Weed #Growing Up

We all know by theory that there is no permanent happiness in this life: But the weight of the precept is not felt in the same manner as when it is confirmed to us by a heavy calamity.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Happiness #Weight #This Life

The wife of a self-admirer must expect a very cold and negligent husband.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Husband #Self #Wife

The most innocent heart is generally the most credulous.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Heart #Innocent

If a woman knows a man to be a libertine, yet will, without scruple, give him her company, he will think half the ceremony between them is over; and will probably only want an opportunity to make her repent of her confidence in him.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Opportunity #Men #Thinking

The person who is worthiest to live, is fittest to die.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Persons

Every thing is pretty that is young.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Youth #Young

What we look upon as our greatest unhappiness in a difficulty we are involved in, may possibly be the evil hastening to its crisis, and happy days may ensue.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Evil #Looks #May

Distresses, however heavy at the time, appear light, and even joyous, to the reflecting mind, when worthily overcome.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Light #Mind #Overcoming

Things we wish to be true are apt to gain too ready credit with us.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Wish #Credit #Gains

We are all very ready to believe what we like.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Believe #Ready

A good man will honor him who lives up to his religious profession, whatever it be.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Religious #Men #Honor

Tis certain that Morality is an indispensable Requisite of true Religion, and there can be none without it. But it would become the Pride and Ignorance of Pagans only, to magnify it, as the Whole of what is necessary.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Ignorance #Pride #Religion

Reverence to a woman in courtship is less to be dispensed with, as, generally, there is but little of it shown afterwards.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Littles #Reverence

The coyest maids make the fondest wives.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Wife #Maids

Those who doubt themselves most generally err least.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Doubt

The unhappy never want enemies.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Adversity #Enemy #Unhappy

A good man will extend his munificence to the industrious poor of all persuasions reduced by age, infirmity, or accident; to thosewho labour under incurable maladies; and to the youth of either sex, who are capable of beginning the world with advantage, but have not the means.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Sex #Mean #Men

All that hoops are good for is to clean dirty shoes and keep fellows at a distance.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Distance #Dirty #Shoes

Those commands of superiors which are contrary to our first duties are not to be obeyed.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Firsts #Morality #Obedience

Men know no medium: They will either, spaniel-like, fawn at your feet, or be ready to leap into your lap.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Feet #Fawns

When we reflect upon the cruelties daily practised upon such of the animal creation as are given us for food, or which we ensnarefor our diversion, we shall be obliged to own that there is more of the savage in human nature than we are aware of.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Animal #Savages #Human Nature

A good man will not engage even in a national cause, without examining the justice of it.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Justice #Good Man

If women would make themselves appear as elegant to an Husband, as they were desirous to appear to him while a Lover, the Rake, which all women love, would last longer in the Husband than it generally does.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Marriage #Husband #Wife

Marriage is a state that is attended with so much care and trouble, that it is a kind of faulty indulgence and selfishness to livesingle, in order to avoid the difficulties it is attended with.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Marriage #Order #Selfishness

There is a good and a bad light in which every thing that befalls us may be taken. If the human mind will busy itself to make theworst of every disagreeable occurrence, it will never want woe.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Taken #Light #Optimism

It is a happy art to know when one has said enough. I would leave my hearers wishing me to say more rather than give them cause toshow, by their inattention, that I had said too much.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Art #Giving #Wish

The richest princes and the poorest beggars are to have one great and just judge at the last day who will not distinguish betweenthem according to their ranks when in life but according to the neglected opportunities afforded to each. How much greater then, as the opportunities were greater, must be the condemnation of the one than of the other?
-- Samuel Richardson

#Opportunity #Judging #Lasts

We can all be good when we have no temptation or provocation to the contrary.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Temptation #Goodness #Be Good

I have my choice: who can wish for more? Free will enables us to do everything well while imposition makes a light burden heavy.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Light #Choices #Wish

Old men, imagining themselves under obligation to young paramours, seldom keep any thing from their knowledge.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Men #Age #Imagine

I never knew a man who deserved to be thought well of for his morals who had a slight opinion of our Sex in general.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Sex #Men #Opinion

The world, the wise world, that never is wrong itself, judges always by events. And if he should use me ill, then I shall be blamed for trusting him: if well, O then I did right, to be sure!--But how would my censurers act in my case, before the event justifies or condemns the action, is the question.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Wise #Judging #Use

Youth is rather to be pitied than envied by people in years since it is doomed to toil through the rugged road of life which the others have passed through, in search of happiness that is not to be met with in it and that, at the highest, can be compounded for only by the blessing of a contented mind.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Happiness #Blessing #Years

Love is a blazing, crackling, green-wood flame, as much smoke as flame; friendship, married friendship particularly, is a steady,intense, comfortable fire. Love, in courtship, is friendship in hope; in matrimony, friendship upon proof.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Friendship #Love Is #Flames

Tis a barbarous temper, and a sign of a very ill nature, to take delight in shocking any one: and, on the contrary, it is the mark of an amiable and a beneficent temper, to say all the kind things one can, without flattery or playing the hypocrite,--and what never fails of procuring the love and esteem of every one; which, next to doing good to a deserving object who wants it, is one of the greatest pleasures of this life.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Hypocrite #Delight #Want

What a world is this! What is there in it desirable? The good we hope for so strangely mixed, that one knows not what to wish for!And one half of mankind tormenting the other, and being tormented themselves in tormenting!
-- Samuel Richardson

#Life #Wish #World

The World is not enough used to this way of writing, to the moment. It knows not that in the minutiae lie often the unfoldings ofthe Story, as well as of the heart; and judges of an action undecided, as if it were absolutely decided.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Lying #Reading #Writing

The Nature of Familiar Letters, written, as it were, to the Moment, while the Heart is agitated by Hopes and Fears, on Events undecided, must plead an Excuse for the Bulk of a Collection of this Kind. Mere Facts and Characters might be comprised in a much smaller Compass: But, would they be equally interesting?
-- Samuel Richardson

#Heart #Character #Interesting

The uselessness and expensiveness of modern women multiply bachelors.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Women #Modern #Bachelors

All women, from the countess to the cook-maid, are put into high good humor with themselves when a man is taken with them at firstsight. And be they ever so plain, they will find twenty good reasons to defend the judgment of such a man.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Women #Taken #Maids

The eye is the casement at which the heart generally looks out. Many a woman who will not show herself at the door, has tipt the sly, the intelligible wink from the window.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Women #Eye #Heart

Women love those best (whether men, women, or children) who give them most pain.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Pain #Children #Women

Women's eyes are wanderers, and too often bring home guests that are very troublesome to them, and whom, once introduced, they cannot get out of the house.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Women #Eye #Home

The longer a woman remains single, the more apprehensive she will be of entering into the state of wedlock. At seventeen or eighteen, a girl will plunge into it, sometimes without either fear or wit; at twenty, she will begin to think; at twenty-four, will weigh and discriminate; at twenty-eight, will be afraid of venturing; at thirty, will turn about, and look down the hill she has ascended, and sometimes rejoice, sometimes repent, that she has gained that summit sola.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Marriage #Girl #Women

Twenty-four is a prudent age for women to marry at.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Marriage #Women #Four

Parents cannot expect advice to have the same force upon their children as experience has upon themselves.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Children #Parent #Advice

Men and women are brothers and sisters; they are not of different species; and what need be obtained to know both, but to allow for different modes of education, for situation and constitution, or perhaps I should rather say, for habits, whether good or bad.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Brother #Men #Imagination

What the unpenetrating world call Humanity, is often no more than a weak mind pitying itself.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Self #Humanity #Mind

Though a censure lies against those who are poor and proud, yet is Pride sooner to be forgiven in a poor person than in a rich one; since in the latter it is insult and arrogance; in the former, it may be a defense against temptations to dishonesty; and, if manifested on proper occasions, may indicate a natural bravery of mind, which the frowns of fortune cannot depress.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Depressing #Lying #Pride

We have nothing to do, but to choose what is right, to be steady in the pursuit of it, and leave the issue to Providence.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Issues #Free Will #Pursuit

Women who have had no lovers, or having had one, two or three, have not found a husband, have perhaps rather had a miss than a loss, as men go.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Husband #Loss #Men

I know not my own heart if it be not absolutely free.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Heart

The English, the plain English, of the politest address of a gentleman to a lady is, I am now, dear Madam, your humble servant: Pray be so good as to let me be your Lord and Master.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Humble #Gentleman #Addresses

Marry first, and love will come after is a shocking assertion; since a thousand things may happen to make the state but barely tolerable, when it is entered into with mutual affection.
-- Samuel Richardson

#And Love #May #Firsts

Whenever we approve, we can find a hundred good reasons to justify our approbation. Whenever we dislike, we can find a thousand to justify our dislike.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Appreciate #Reason #Hundred

Would Alexander, madman as he was, have been so much a madman, had it not been for Homer?
-- Samuel Richardson

#Madmen

Women are always most observed when they seem themselves least to observe, or to lay out for observation.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Observation

There would be no supporting life were we to feel quite as poignantly for others as we do for ourselves.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Would Be #Feels

The pleasures of the mighty are obtained by the tears of the poor.
-- Samuel Richardson

#Tears #Pleasure #Poor