James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck, was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, Life of Samuel Johnson, which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language. A great mass of Boswell's diaries, letters, and private papers were recovered from the 1920s to the 1950s, and their publication by Yale University has transformed his reputation.
Career Journey
Background
- Born in
- Edinburgh
- Educated at
- University of EdinburghUniversity of GlasgowUtrecht University
Trending & Selected Quotes
Trending topics shown first"My lord and Dr Johnson disputed a little, whether the savage or the London shopkeeper had the best existence; his lordship, as usual, preferring the savage."
"'Sir,' said Mr Johnson, 'a lawyer has no business with the justice or injustice of the cause which he undertakes, unless his client asks his opinion, and then he is bound to give it honestly. The just…"
"I observed he poured a large quantity of it into a glass, and swallowed it greedily. Everything about his character and manners was forcible and violent; there never was any moderation; many a day did…"
"You are a philosopher, Dr. Johnson. I have tried too in my time to be a philosopher; but, I don't know how, cheerfulness was always breaking in."
"He who has provoked the lash of wit, cannot complain that he smarts from it."
"Such groundless fears will arise in the mind, before it has resumed its vigour after sleep!"
Works & Publications
No works or publications documented yet.
Timeline
1740
Born
Birth1795
Died
Death
Influenced By
Thinkers whose ideas shaped James's philosophy
No known influences documented.
Influenced
Thinkers whose work was shaped by James's ideas
No influenced thinkers documented yet.
Source Attribution
Information about James Boswell is sourced from curated knowledge bases and cross-referenced for accuracy. Influence relationships are scored by thematic overlap and historical plausibility.
Related Thinkers
See all →
Explore Further
Related Quotes
"It is of no earthly importance whether he changed water into wine or not. All his miracles are simply dust …"
— Robert G. Ingersoll"Taking the country over, the Whites who have married Indians have not been of a high class. But the total n…"
— Madison Grant"Science and Religion both fail to give a reasonable reply. Science does not pretend to be able to give the …"
— William Quan Judge"If there is a bedrock principle of the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expr…"
— William J. Brennan"The diagnosis is clear, but changing the status quo has proven difficult, because often those who are elect…"
— Alfred-Maurice de Zayas"In our worship of certainty we must distinguish between the sound certainty and the sham, between what is g…"
— Benjamin N. Cardozo
