It was said of Samuel Johnson that few persons walked away from being in his company without perceiving themselves wiser and better than they were before. What a legacy! Oh, that we all had that kind of legacy!
Or do we?
If we listen carefully during every conversation we participate in, do we not walk away wiser? Do we not walk away improved?
I do not always agree with what Samuel Johnson says, but I respect and admire him greatly. He speaks exactly what he thinks, succinctly and powerfully, displaying no fear of how someone else will judge him. Much of what he says takes me by surprise, immediately followed by a sense of, "Ahhhhh, I see. He is right." Occasionally, I disagree; but even when I disagree, my senses are sharpened by his point of view.
Reading Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson is like sitting down to a banquet of ideas. In it we are placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and are given the privilege of listening in on some of his conversations, as well as of reading some of his letters. Below, I paraphrase and share with you a few pearls I walked away with after being in Dr. Johnson's company via the 1770 portion of Life of Samuel Johnson. Sometimes the pearls are shaped in the form of thought-provoking questions, pearls that will continue to grow and develop as the questions become more answered for me.
If someone has something in his possession that may be useful to the public, ought he to keep it wholly to himself? This applies to ideas and knowledge as well as to physical things.
Wisdom plans. Virtue executes.
Samuel Johnson frequently gave all the silver in his pocket to the poor, who watched him as he walked from his house to the tavern where he dined. That's a challenging and inspiring example. I admire generosity, so why am I not more generous?
It's good to be around people that are your superiors in many things, for it helps to keep ugly pride from being a parasite to your soul.
You know a book is good when it gets you out of bed two hours sooner than you wish to rise.
If you don't think it would be right for someone else to do something, maybe you shouldn't do it yourself.
The concerns of eternity ought to be the governing principles of our lives.
If you have seen unutterable things, it might be better not to utter them.
Is a nation's highest reputation derived from the splendor and dignity of its writers? What is written has a way of lasting and continuing to speak for generations.
If people have an honest way of feeding themselves, let them do it. Why make it harder for them than it has to be?
Wisdom is right in front of the one who has understanding.
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