Quotes By Sydney Smith

Never talk for half a minute without pausing and giving others a chance to join in.

I never read a book before previewing it; it prejudices a man so.

Whatever you are by nature, keep to it; never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for, and you will succeed.

What you don't know would make a great book.

Do not try to push your way through to the front ranks of your profession; do not run after distinctions and rewards; but do your utmost to find an entry into the world of beauty.

Bishop Berkeley destroyed this world in one volume octavo; and nothing remained, after his time, but mind; which experienced a similar fate from the hand of Mr. Hume in 1737.

Never give way to melancholy; resist it steadily, for the habit will encroach.

Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything.

A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience.