Logan Pearsall Smith

Logan Pearsall Smith was an American‑born British essayist, critic, and aphorist, born on October 18, 1865 in Millville, New Jersey, and educated at Haverford College, Harvard, the University of Berlin, and Balliol College, Oxford +12+12Wikiquote+12. Known for his elegant prose and incisive style, Smith became a respected authority on language usage—authoring books such as Words and Idioms—and was admired for his mastery of epigrams and literary precision Bookey+2+2QuoteTab+2.

Over his long career, Smith published several collections of essays and aphorisms, including Trivia, More Trivia, Afterthoughts, and his autobiography Unforgotten Years (1938), which chronicles his literary life and friendships with figures like Virginia Woolf and Bertrand Russell quotation.io+3+3Bookey+3. He spent most of his adult life in England, becoming a British citizen in 1913, and earned a reputation as a literary perfectionist and intellectual companion to many of his contemporaries .

Smith’s writing is rich with wit and wisdom. Among his many striking quotes:

“People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.” This reflects his lifelong devotion to books over worldly concerns +10Goodreads+10A-Z Quotes+10.

“There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second.” An elegant meditation on desire and contentment +7Goodreads+7The Quotations Page+7.

“The test of a vocation is the love of the drudgery it involves.” A pointed recognition of passion’s truest measure Lib Quotes+7A-Z Quotes+7Bookey+7.

These quotes exemplify Smith’s philosophical depth, precise language, and his ability to distill human experience into brief, memorable phrases—qualities that ensure his work remains celebrated in literary circles today.