Happiness Quote by Samuel Johnson

'There is no private house, (said he,) in which people can enjoy themselves so well, as at a capital tavern. Let there be ever so great plenty of good things, ever so much grandeur, ever so much elegance, ever so much desire that every body should be easy; in the nature of things it cannot be: there must always be some degree of care and anxiety. The master of the house is anxious to entertain his guests; the guests are anxious to be agreeable to him: and no man, but a very impudent dog indeed, can as freely command what is in another man's house, as if it were his own. Whereas, at a tavern, there is a general freedom from anxiety. You are sure you are welcome: and the more noise you make, the more trouble you give, the more good things you call for, the welcomer you are. No servants will attend you with the alacrity which waiters do, who are incited by the prospect of an immediate reward, in proportion as they please. No, Sir; there is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.' (Entry for Thursday, March 21, 1776 (Chapel-house inn passage; exact page varies by edition)). This is not from Johnson's own published writings; it is a reported remark recorded by James Boswell in his biography. Boswell dates the conversation to Thursday, March 21, 1776, while dining at the Chapel-house inn during their post-chaise trip (through Blenheim park). The earliest publication I can verify for this exact wording is Boswell's 1791 first edition of The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (Boswell’s book was first published in 1791; the page number depends on which printing/edition you consult, Gutenberg/online HTML editions don’t preserve the original pagination).