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James Boswell Biography

James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (/ˈbɒzwɛl, -wəl/; 29 October 1740 – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer and diarist, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson, which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language.

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James Boswell Quotes

I went to my father's at night. He spoke of poor John [Boswell's brother] with disgust. I was shocked and said, "He's your son, and God made him. " He answered very harshly, "If my sons are idiots, can I help it?

Brother, Father, Son, John, Shocked, Help

Melancholy cannot be clearly proved to others, so it is better to be silent about it.

Clearly, Melancholy, Proved, Silent, Unhappiness

I fancy mankind may come, in time, to write all aphoristically.

Aphoristically, Fancy, May, Write, Writing

A page of my journal is like a cake of portable soup. A little may be diffused into a considerable portion.

Cake, Considerable, May, Page, Soup

I have seen many a bear led by a man: but I never before saw a man led by a bear.

Bears, Man, Men, Saw, Saws, Seen

Addison writes with the ease of a gentleman. His readers fancy that a wise and accomplished companion is talking to them; so thathe insinuates his sentiments and taste into their minds by an imperceptible influence. Johnson writes like a teacher. He dictates to his readers as if from an academical chair. They attend with awe and admiration; and his precepts are impressed upon them by his commanding eloquence. Addison's style, like a light wine, pleases everybody from the first. Johnson's, like a liquor of more body, seems too strong at first, but, by degrees, is highly relished.

Awe, Companion, Influence, Strong, Teacher, Wise

But what can a man see of a library being one day in it?

Day, Library, Man, Men, One Day, See

Wine makes a man better pleased with himself. I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others. Sometimes it does. But the danger is, that while a man grows better pleased with himself, he may be growing less pleasing to others. Wine gives a man nothing. It neither gives him knowledge nor wit; it only animates a man, and enables him to bring out what a dread of the company has presented.

Dread, Enables, Giving, Man, Men, Wine

If a man is prodigal, he cannot be truly generous.

Generosity, Generous, Man, Men, Prodigal, Prodigals

A Sceptick therefore, who because he finds that Truths are not universally received, doubts of their existence, is just as foolish as a man who should try large shoes upon little feet, and little shoes upon large feet, and finding that they did not fit.

Doubts, Feet, Foolish, Man, Men, Shoes

There is indeed a strange prejudice against Quotation.

Against, Prejudice, Quotation, Quotations, Strange

I find I journalize too tediously. Let me try to abbreviate.

Journalism, Journalize, Let, Let Me, Tediously, Trying

When a man is familiar with many people he must expect many disagreeable familiarizations.

Disagreeable, Expect, Friendship, Man, Men, People

I am now to offer some thoughts upon that sameness or familiarity which we frequently find between passages in different authors without quotation. This may be one of three things either what is called Plagiarism, or Imitation, or Coincidence.

Different, May, Passages, Quotation, Things, Three

Boswell, when he speaks of his Life of Johnson, calls it my magnum opus, but it may more properly be called his opera, for it is truly a composition founded on a true story, in which there is a hero with a number of subordinate characters, and an alternate succession of recitative and airs of various tone and effect, all however in delightful animation.

Hero, Character, Numbers, Succession, Story, Characters

I am, I flatter myself, completely a citizen of the world. In my travels through Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Corsica, France, I never felt myself from home.

Home, Switzerland, Germany, France, Completely, Italy

I, who have no sisters or brothers, look with some degree of innocent envy on those who may be said to be born to friends.

Brother, Envy, Friends, Look, Sister

If venereal delight and the power of propagating the species were permitted only to the virtuous, it would make the world very good.

Delight, Permitted, Venereal, Very Good, Virtuous, World

My curiosity to see the melancholy spectacle of the executions was so strong that I could not resist it, although I was sensible that I would suffer much from it. . . . I got upon a scaffold near the fatal tree so that I could clearly see all the dismal scene. . . . I was most terribly shocked, and thrown into a very deep melancholy.

Death, Strong, Tree, Fatal, Scaffold

Writing a book I have found to be like building a house. A man forms a plan, and collects materials.

Book, Writing, Men, Found, Forms

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