A fly, Sir, may sting a stately horse and make him wince; but, one is but an insect, and the other is a horse still.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the insignificance of minor irritations in the face of greater strength or stature.
In this quote, Samuel Johnson emphasizes that small annoyances or challenges, represented by the fly, may provoke a reaction from those who are much more significant or powerful, symbolized by the stately horse. Despite the momentary discomfort caused by the fly, it does not change the essential nature or status of the horse, illustrating that true strength remains untainted by trivial adversities.
In practice
In a speech about handling criticism, one might use this quote to illustrate that minor criticisms don't define a person's worth.
To be of no church is dangerous. Religion, of which the rewards are distant, and which is animated only by faith and hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind unless it be invigorated and reimpressed by external ordinances, by stated calls to worship, and the salutary influence of example.
He that reads and grows no wiser seldom suspects his own deficiency, but complains of hard words and obscure sentences, and asks why books are written which cannot be understood.
To let friendship die away by negligence and silence is certainly not wise. It is voluntarily to throw away one of the greatest comforts of the weary pilgrimage.
Fly-fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.
When any anxiety or gloom of the mind takes hold of you, make it a rule not to publish it by complaining; but exert yourselves to hide it, and by endeavoring to hide it you drive it away.
A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other.
...like a magnetic compass turning north, I always tried to head in the direction of the better, which is the direction to God. ...the directions that appeared to lead away from Christianity led me deeper into it.
That the king can do no wrong is a necessary and fundamental principle of the English constitution.
I make myself strict rules in order to correct my nature. But it is my nature that I finally obey.
The good traveler has the gift of surprise.
It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit.
Our scientific age demands that we provide definitions, measurements, and statistics in order to be taken seriously. Yet most of the important things in life cannot be precisely defined or measured. Can we define or measure love, beauty, friendship, or decency, for example?
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