Jonathan Swift Quotes

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to o... -Jonathan Swift

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.

Invention is the talent of youth, as judgment is o... -Jonathan Swift

Invention is the talent of youth, as judgment is of age.

For in reason, all government without the consent ... -Jonathan Swift

For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.

A wise man should have money in his head, but not ... -Jonathan Swift

A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.

Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes ... -Jonathan Swift

Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes to be old.

A wise person should have money in their head, but... -Jonathan Swift

A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.

I never knew a man come to greatness or eminence w... -Jonathan Swift

I never knew a man come to greatness or eminence who lay abed late in the morning.

Promises and pie-crust are made to be broken.

Politics, as the word is commonly understood, are ... -Jonathan Swift

Politics, as the word is commonly understood, are nothing but corruptions.

Discovering the context

The quote expresses a negative view of politics, asserting that it is inherently corrupt or subject to corruption, implying a belief that political systems or practices are fundamentally flawed or compromised.

Good manners is the art of making those people easy with whom we converse. Whoever makes the fewest people uneasy is the best bred in the room.

The power of fortune is confessed only by the miserable, for the happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.

Books, the children of the brain.

I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wond... -Jonathan Swift

I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.

Discovering the context

This quote expresses the speaker's lack of surprise or astonishment when witnessing men engaging in wicked actions, but their astonishment when observing men who show no remorse or shame for their behavior.

Although men are accused of not knowing their own weakness, yet perhaps few know their own strength. It is in men as in soils, where sometimes there is a vein of gold which the owner knows not of.

Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies... -Jonathan Swift

Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.

No man was ever so completely skilled in the conduct of life, as not to receive new information from age and experience.

Power is no blessing in itself, except when it is ... -Jonathan Swift

Power is no blessing in itself, except when it is used to protect the innocent.

When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.

Under this window in stormy weather I marry this man and woman together; Let none but Him who rules the thunder Put this man and woman asunder.

Words are but wind; and learning is nothing but wo... -Jonathan Swift

Words are but wind; and learning is nothing but words; ergo, learning is nothing but wind.

The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doc... -Jonathan Swift

The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor Merryman.

Discovering the context

This quote humorously implies that managing one's diet, maintaining tranquility, and finding joy in life are essential for good health. It playfully personifies these qualities as doctors, suggesting that they are crucial components of a healthy and fulfilling life.

He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.

I never saw, heard, nor read, that the clergy were beloved in any nation where Christianity was the religion of the country. Nothing can render them popular, but some degree of persecution.

May you live all the days of your life.

Men are happy to be laughed at for their humor, bu... -Jonathan Swift

Men are happy to be laughed at for their humor, but not for their folly.

Discovering the context

The quote reflects a societal observation that men tend to appreciate being laughed at when they are intentionally humorous, but they may not enjoy being laughed at for their foolish or foolish actions.

We have enough religion to make us hate, but not e... -Jonathan Swift

We have enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.

Jonathan Swift Quotes

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