The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on that on which our success in life depends.
~ William Hazlitt - [Vocation]

Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves.
~ William Hazlitt - [War]

If mankind had wished for what is right, they might have had it long ago.
~ William Hazlitt - [Peace]

No one ever approaches perfection except by stealth, and unknown to themselves.
~ William Hazlitt - [Perfection]

We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner of doing it.
~ William Hazlitt - [Performance]

The art of pleasing consists in being pleased.
~ William Hazlitt - [Persuasion]

Poetry is the universal language which the heart holds with nature and itself. He who has a contempt for poetry, cannot have much respect for himself, or for anything else.
~ William Hazlitt - [Poetry and Poets]

The essence of poetry is will and passion.
~ William Hazlitt - [Poetry and Poets]

The poetical impression of any object is that uneasy, exquisite sense of beauty or power that cannot be contained within itself; that is impatient of all limit; that (as flame bends to flame) strives to link itself to some other image of kindred beauty or grandeur; to enshrine itself, as it were, in the highest forms of fancy, and to relieve the aching sense of pleasure by expressing it in the boldest manner.
~ William Hazlitt - [Poetry and Poets]

A Whig is properly what is called a Trimmer -- that is, a coward to both sides of the question, who dare not be a knave nor an honest man, but is a sort of whiffing, shuffling, cunning, silly, contemptible, unmeaning negation of the two.
~ William Hazlitt - [Politicians and Politics]

If a person has no delicacy, he has you in his power.
~ William Hazlitt - [Power]

No wise man can have a contempt for the prejudices of others; and he should even stand in a certain awe of his own, as if they were aged parents and monitors. They may in the end prove wiser than he.
~ William Hazlitt - [Prejudice]

Prejudice is the child of ignorance.
~ William Hazlitt - [Prejudice]

The most learned are often the most narrow minded.
~ William Hazlitt - [Prejudice]

There is no prejudice so strong as that which arises from a fancied exemption from all prejudice.
~ William Hazlitt - [Prejudice]

Some persons make promises for the pleasure of breaking them.
~ William Hazlitt - [Promises]

There is not a more mean, stupid, dastardly, pitiless, selfish, spiteful, envious, ungrateful animal than the Public. It is the greatest of cowards, for it is afraid of itself.
~ William Hazlitt - [Public]

Few things tend more to alienate friendship than a want of punctuality in our engagements. I have known the breach of a promise to dine or sup to break up more than one intimacy.
~ William Hazlitt - [Punctuality]

To give a reason for anything is to breed a doubt of it.
~ William Hazlitt - [Reason]

We grow tired of everything but turning others into ridicule, and congratulating ourselves on their defects.
~ William Hazlitt - [Ridicule]