quote · Legacy record
When an author is yet living we estimate his powers by his worst performance and when he is dead we rate them by his best.
When an author is yet living we estimate his powers by his worst performance and when he is dead we rate them by his best.
Approximate author period: c. 1746 AD · early modern
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Samuel Johnson
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1746 AD · early modern
author lifetime midpoint (1709–1784)
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided quotation collection
Supplied reference C; CSV row 422436; supplied attribution, independently unverified
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.