1612-1680, British Poet, Satirist
A blind man knows he cannot see, and is glad to be led, though it be by a dog; but he that is blind in his understanding, which is the worst blindness of all, believes he sees as the best, and scorns a guide.
Samuel Butler – [Understanding]
A friend who cannot at a pinch remember a thing or two that never happened is as bad as one who does not know how to forget.
Samuel Butler – [Friends and Friendship]
A genius can never expect to have a good time anywhere, if he is a genuine article, but America is about the last place in which life will be endurable at all for an inspired writer of any kind.
Samuel Butler – [Genius]
A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg.
Samuel Butler – [Animals]
A lawyers dream of heaven; every man reclaimed his property at the resurrection, and each tried to recover it from all his forefathers.
Samuel Butler – [Law and Lawyers]
A man should be just cultured enough to be able to look with suspicion upon culture at first, not second hand.
Samuel Butler – [Culture]
A man's friendships are, like his will, invalidated by marriage — but they are also no less invalidated by the marriage of his friends.
Samuel Butler – [Friends and Friendship]
A skilful leech is better far, than half a hundred men of war.
Samuel Butler – [Doctors]
A virtue to be serviceable must, like gold, be alloyed with some commoner, but more durable alloy.
Samuel Butler – [Virtue]
All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.
Samuel Butler – [Fun]
All philosophies, if you ride them home, are nonsense, but some are greater nonsense than others.
Samuel Butler – [Philosophers and Philosophy]
All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.
Samuel Butler – [Excess]
An empty house is like a stray dog or a body from which life has departed.
Samuel Butler – [Home]
Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well.
Samuel Butler – [Lies and Lying]
Arguments are like fire-arms which a man may keep at home but should not carry about with him.
Samuel Butler – [Argument]
Because they did not see merit where they should have seen it, people, to express their regret, will go and leave a lot of money to the very people who will be the first to throw stones at the next person who has anything to say and finds a difficulty in getting a hearing.
Samuel Butler – [Benefactors]
Belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.
Samuel Butler – [Belief]
Birth and death are so closely related that one could not destroy either without destroying the other at the same time. It is extinction that makes creation possible.
Samuel Butler – [Birth]
Compound for sins they are inclined to by damning those they have no mind to.
Samuel Butler – [Moralists]
Conscience is thoroughly well-bred and soon leaves off talking to those who do not wish to hear it.
Samuel Butler – [Conscience]