Samuel Johnson | Quotations from this Dictionary
Quotations from Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson. This is a dictionary in which the words are deduced from their originals and all the following quotations are from it.
Thy overpraising leaves in doubt
The virtue of that fruit, in thee first proved.
Milton
Appreciation & Critical Comments:
When something is overdone, it may defeat its intention and purpose and even go in the opposite direction. So excessive grief leads to joy and excessive joy leads to grief.
What she wills to do or say,
Is wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best.
Milton
Appreciation & Critical Comments:
Here “discreetest” is highly praised because it is placed side by side with such words as “wisest” “virtuousest” and “best”, an idea which is similar to that advocated by Confucius who encourages people to be cautious in words and deeds so as to avoid lapses.
Nor love is always of a vicious kind,
But oft to virtuous acts inflames the mind.
Dryden
Appreciation & Critical Comments:
It is interesting to note what Bacon says in his “Of Marriage & Single Life”: “It is often seen that bad husbands have very good wives; whether it be that it raiseth the price of their husband’s kindness when it comes; or that the wives take pride in their patience.”
With one virtuous touch, the arch-chemic sun,
Produces, with terrestrial humor mix’d,
Here in the dark, so many precious things.
Milton.
Appreciation & Critical Comments:
Here the sun is described as the arch-chemic mighty thing, because his virtuous and gracious touch, coupled with earthly humor, grants us so many wondrous things or “so many precious things in the dark here.”非商业性援引，需注明出处来源于史话英语，史志康教授保留所有权利。
