Hard work and discipline
A man may write at any time, if he will set himself doggedly.
— Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides (1785), (16 August 1773)

Hard work and discipline

What it means

Writing does not wait for inspiration; it comes from sitting down and persisting. Doggedness, not mood, produces the work.

About the author

Samuel Johnson — English writer and polymath (1709–1784).

Source and verification

Source
The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides (1785), (16 August 1773)
Reference
Samuel Johnson on Wikiquote
Checked
Wording and source taken from the sourced section of the author’s Wikiquote page, which cites the work given here (accessed 2026-10-11).
Copyright
Public domain: the author died in 1784.

The explanation above is ToDoMatriX’s own reading of the quote, not the author’s words.

More on hard work and discipline

“In the morning, when thou art sluggish at rousing thee, let this thought be present; ‘I am rising to a man’s work.’”

Marcus Aurelius

“Work first and then rest. Work first, and then gaze, but do not use golden ploughshares, nor bind ledgers in enamel.”

John Ruskin

“Employment, sir, and hardships prevent melancholy.”

Samuel Johnson