William Hazlitt Quotes
A Whig is properly what is called a Trimmer - that is, a coward to both sides of the question, who dare not be a knave nor an honest man, but is a sort of whiffing, shuffling, cunning, silly, contemptible, unmeaning negation of the two.
Hazlitt, William. Preface. Political Essays, with Sketches of Public Characters. William Hone, 1819, p. xvii.
There are a few politicians who are neither left nor right in most countries. However, the reaction of the other politicians is almost always the same—deep suspicion. This tends to produce isolation from other politicians who are committed one way or the other. The middle of the roader opposes you at times if you are left or right. As such he/she is an enemy who can’t be trusted.
William Hazlitt was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. He is also acknowledged as the finest art critic of his age. Despite his high standing among historians of literature and art, his work is currently little read and mostly out of print.
