When a man is tired of London he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.
Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. vi. Chap. ix. 1777.
He was so generally civil that nobody thanked him for it.
Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. vi. Chap. ix. 1777.
Goldsmith, however, was a man who whatever he wrote, did it better than any other man could do.
Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. vii. Chap. iii. 1778.
Johnson had said that he could repeat a complete chapter of "The Natural History of Iceland," from the Danish of Horrebow, the whole of which was exactly (Ch. lxxii. Concerning snakes) thus: "There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island."[373:1]
Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. vii. Chap. iv. 1778.
As the Spanish proverb says, "He who would bring home the wealth of the Indies must carry the wealth of the Indies with him," so it is in travelling,—a man must carry knowledge with him if he would bring home knowledge.
Life of Johnson (Boswell). Vol. vii. Chap. v. 1778.