He is no wise man that will quit a certainty for an uncertainty. — Samuel Johnson · Smartyfair

He is no wise man that will quit a certainty for an uncertainty.

Samuel Johnson1709–1784 · writer · 1700s EnglandSamuel Johnson was an English writer and critic best known for single-handedly writing one of the first great dictionaries of the English language, a project that took him about nine years.19 quotes

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How sure this is: 85% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: The Idler. No. 57.; Bartlett, Familiar Quotations, ninth edition, Samuel Johnson entry; The Idler. No. 57.; Wording and named source checked in Bartlett’s published reference; the original work is identified by title and locator. Literary excerpts, not claims of personal spoken testimony.
Work: The Idler. No. 57.
Sources checked: gutenberg.orgChecked using manual, 17 October 2026The Idler. No. 57.; Bartlett, Familiar Quotations, ninth edition, Samuel Johnson entry; The Idler. No. 57.; Wording and named source checked in Bartlett’s published reference; the original work is identified by title and locator. Literary excerpts, not claims of personal spoken testimony.

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