Quotes from Jonathan Swift

Such a man, truly wise, creams off Nature leaving the sour and the dregs for philosophy and reason to lap up.

For though, in nature, depth and height Are equally held infinite: In poetry, the height we know; 'Tis only infinite below.

Party is the madness of many for the gain of a few.

Politics, as the word is commonly understood, are nothing but corruptions, and consequently of no use to a good king or a good ministry; for which reason Courts are so overrun with politics.

A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong which is but saying ... that he is wiser today than yesterday.

There is nothing in this world constant but inconstancy.

Great abilities, when employed as God directs, do but make the owners of them greater and more painful servants to their neighbors.

God hath intended our passions to prevail over reason.

Apollo was held the god of physic and sender of disease. Both were originally the same trade, and still continue.

Positiveness is a good quality for preachers and speakers because, whoever shares his thoughts with the public will convince them as he himself appears convinced.

Polite Conversation Why, everyone one as they like; as the good woman said when she kissed her cow.

Hereditary right should be kept sacred, not from any inalienable right in a particular family, but to avoid the consequences that usually attend the ambition of competitors.

Interest is the spur of the people, but glory that of great souls. Invention is the talent of youth, and judgment of age.

Although the devil be the father of lies, he seems, like other great inventors, to have lost much of his reputation by the continual improvements that have been made upon him.

All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next year's revenue.

If a man makes me keep my distance, the comfort is, he keeps his at the same time.

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.

I always love to begin a journey on Sundays because I shall have the prayers of the church to preserve all that travel by land or by water.

We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.

The ruin of a State is generally preceded by an universal degeneracy of manners and contempt of religion.

Religion seems to have grown an infant with age, and requires miracles to nurse it, as it had in its infancy.

What religion is he of? Why, he is an Anythingarian.

Religion supposed Heaven and Hell, the word of God, and sacraments, and twenty other circumstances which, taken seriously, are a wonderful check to wit and humour.

Some men, under the notion of weeding out prejudice, eradicate virtue, honesty and religion.