Exactness is first obtained, and afterwards elegance. But diction, mer…

Samuel Johnson
884 citations
Exactness is first obtained, and afterwards elegance. But diction, merely vocal, is always in its childhood. As no man leaves his eloquence behind him, the new generations have all to learn. There may possibly be books without a polished language, but there can be no polished language without books. ✨ Samuel Johnson, Arthur Murphy (1857). The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: With an Essay on His Life and Genius, p.653
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