William Hazlitt Quotes

Author Image

William Hazlitt

Profession : Critic

Birth : April 10, 1778

The way to get on in the world is to be neither more nor less wise, neither better nor worse than your neighbours.

William Hazlitt

Some one is generally sure to be the sufferer by a joke.

William Hazlitt

A grave blockhead should always go about with a lively one - they show one another off to the best advantage.

William Hazlitt

Though familiarity may not breed contempt, it takes off the edge of admiration.

William Hazlitt

The public have neither shame or gratitude.

William Hazlitt

We can scarcely hate anyone that we know.

William Hazlitt

Hope is the best possession. None are completely wretched but those who are without hope. Few are reduced so low as that.

William Hazlitt

To give a reason for anything is to breed a doubt of it.

William Hazlitt

We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner of doing it.

William Hazlitt

The most learned are often the most narrow minded.

William Hazlitt

There is no prejudice so strong as that which arises from a fancied exemption from all prejudice.

William Hazlitt

Satirists gain the applause of others through fear, not through love.

William Hazlitt

Good temper is one of the greatest preservers of the features.

William Hazlitt

To a superior race of being the pretensions of mankind to extraordinary sanctity and virtue must seem... ridiculous.

William Hazlitt

People of genius do not excel in any profession because they work in it, they work in it because they excel.

William Hazlitt

The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on that on which our success in life depends.

William Hazlitt

The incentive to ambition is the love of power.

William Hazlitt

We must be doing something to be happy.

William Hazlitt

Some people break promises for the pleasure of breaking them.

William Hazlitt

To get others to come into our ways of thinking, we must go over to theirs; and it is necessary to follow, in order to lead.

William Hazlitt