The misery of man proceeds not from any single crush of overwhelming evil, but from small vexations continually repeated.
Interpretation
Human misery stems from constant minor annoyances rather than a single, large source of pain.
This quote by Samuel Johnson suggests that the ongoing, repeated frustrations in life contribute more to human suffering than does a singular, significant event. It highlights the cumulative effect of small irritations, indicating that it's often these subtle, daily grievances that weigh heavily on one's mental state, rather than a catastrophic challenge or hardship.
In practice
During a team-building workshop, to illustrate how small issues can affect productivity.
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.
God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.
I think objectivity is like this strange myth that people think you're supposed to achieve, but actually, the dirty little secret is that it's not attainable any more than pure justice is attainable by the courts.
As a chef, I always have in mind how to properly feed the public, but at times it's easy to forget that some people have trouble even getting any food, much less adequate nutrition.
Iron necessity is a thing which in the course of history men come to see as neither iron nor necessary.
There is no truer cause of unhappiness amongst men than, where naturally expecting charity and benevolence, they receive harm and vexation.
I saw clear as daylight how strange it is that not a single person living in this mad world has had the daring to go straight for it all and send it flying to the devil! I...I wanted to have the daring...and I killed her.
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