All who (like him) have writ ill plays before,
For they, like thieves, condemned, are hangman made,
read more

All who (like him) have writ ill plays before,
For they, like thieves, condemned, are hangman made,
To execute the members of their trade.

Reviewers are usually people who would have been poets,
historians, biographers, etc., if they could: they have tried
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Reviewers are usually people who would have been poets,
historians, biographers, etc., if they could: they have tried
their talents at one or the other, and have failed; therefore
they turn critics.

The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all.

The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all.

He was in Logic, a great critic,
Profoundly skill'd in Analytic;
He could distinguish, and divide
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He was in Logic, a great critic,
Profoundly skill'd in Analytic;
He could distinguish, and divide
A hair 'twixt south and south-west side.

The most noble criticism is that in which the critic is not the
antagonist so much as the rival read more

The most noble criticism is that in which the critic is not the
antagonist so much as the rival of the author.

Who shall dispute what the Reviewers say?
Their word's sufficient; and to ask a reason,
In such read more

Who shall dispute what the Reviewers say?
Their word's sufficient; and to ask a reason,
In such a state as theirs, is downright treason.

Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach.

Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach.

Understanding is a two-way street.

Understanding is a two-way street.

People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it's simply necessary to read more

People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it's simply necessary to love.