Sydney Smith

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

— Sydney Smith

#intended #keep #line #nature #never

As the French say, there are three sexes - men, women, and clergymen. ↗

— Sydney Smith

#french #men #say #sexes #three

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. ↗

— Sydney Smith

#berkeley #bishop #destroyed #experienced #fate

Correspondences are like small clothes before the invention of suspenders; it is impossible to keep them up. ↗

— Sydney Smith

#clothes #impossible #invention #keep #like

It resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they cannot be separated, often moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing anyone who comes between them. ↗

— Sydney Smith

#anyone #between #cannot #comes #directions

Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence. ↗

— Sydney Smith

#fortified #friendships #greatest #greatest happiness #happiness

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

— Sydney Smith

#being #calamity #courage #everything #great

Great men hallow a whole people, and lift up all who live in their time. ↗

— Sydney Smith

#great men #lift #live #men #people

Heaven never helps the men who will not act. ↗

— Sydney Smith

#heaven #helps #men #never #who

In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigor it will give your style. ↗

— Sydney Smith

#every #general #general rule #give #idea