John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
4021 Samuel Johnson 1709-1784 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 4021 |
| AUTHOR: | Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) |
| QUOTATION: | Words are men’s daughters, but God’s sons are things. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Boulter’s Monument. (Supposed to have been inserted by Dr. Johnson, 1745.) |
| Note 1. Sir William Jones gives a similar saying in India: “Words are the daughters of earth, and deeds are the sons of heaven.” See Herbert, Quotation 29. Sir Thomas Bodley: Letter to his Librarian, 1604. [back] |