“But, perhaps, the excellence of aphorisms consists not so much in the expression of some rare or abstruse sentiment, as in the comprehension of some obvious and useful truth in few words.”
No. 175 (19 November 1751)
The Rambler (1750–1752)
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Samuel Johnson362
English writer 1709–1784Related quotes
“Even an obvious fabrication is some comfort when you have few others.”
Margaret Atwood book The Penelopiad
Source: The Penelopiad
“A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth - some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say.”
Michael Kinsley (1951) American political journalist, commentator television host
As quoted in Commentary: The gaffer speaks, The Times, April 23, 1988.
Frances Burney (1752–1840) English writer
The Early Journals and Letters of Fanny Burney, vol. 1, p. 8, journal entry, 1768.
Letters
“The truth always carries the ambiguity of the words used to express it.”
Frank Herbert book God Emperor of Dune
Source: God Emperor of Dune
René Descartes book Rules for the Direction of the Mind
Rules for the Direction of the Mind: X.379
As quoted in [Clarke, Desmond M., 2006, Descartes : a Biography, Cambridge Press, 67, ISBN 978-0-521-82301-2]
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American philosopher, essayist, and poet
Character
1880s, Lectures and Biographical Sketches (1883)