The happiness of London is not to be conceived but by those who have been in it.
Interpretation
True happiness in London can only be understood by those who have experienced it firsthand.
Samuel Johnson's quote suggests that the joy and essence of London, a vibrant city, can only be fully grasped by individuals who have lived or spent significant time there. It underscores the idea that certain experiences, particularly ones tied to place and culture, can only be truly appreciated through personal involvement rather than mere observation or hearsay.
In practice
During a speech about traveling, one might quote Samuel Johnson to emphasize the importance of experiencing a city personally.
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.
The best things in life aren't things.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.
It's what's in *yourself* that makes you happy or unhappy.
The value of a smile... It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits. It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends.
My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence.
Every December, I host a tree-trimming party. I serve chili with cornbread and lots of good wine. It's a wonderful party, and it shows how much adults like to play.
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