[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fzP8y88J_Kf1ZYdFaGUKDS4COescZWk2-wT1Ao7X5_yo":3,"$fBTX-dWwzCytpg0QUoq8fyZN3jR34EYnqM0i-rf67W1M":64},{"author":4,"tags":51},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":10,"bio_jsonld":11,"slug":49,"image_url":50},18888,"Samuel Richardson","S",241,"In 1761, Samuel Richardson died in London, bringing to a close the life of one of the English language's most distinctive prose writers and novelists — a career that had combined the craft of fiction with the trade of printing in ways that proved inseparable throughout his working years.\n\nRichardson was born on 19 August 1689, with some sources alternatively recording his birth year as 1687 and the date as 31 July, in Mackworth, Derbyshire. A citizen first of the Kingdom of England and later of the Kingdom of Great Britain, he built a professional life that spanned both the literary and commercial worlds of print. As a book printer, he worked within the material production of written culture, a trade that ran alongside his own activity as a writer and novelist.\n\nWriting in the English language, Richardson produced prose fiction associated with the genre of Sentimentalism. This alignment with Sentimentalism places his work within a broader current of eighteenth-century literature that foregrounded emotional experience and moral reflection in narrative form. His career as a novelist and prose writer established him as a figure whose output engaged the reading public of his era through that particular literary mode, though the precise titles of his works do not appear in the available records consulted here.\n\nThe Library of Congress authorized label for Richardson — \"Richardson, Samuel, 1689-1761\" — reflects the scholarly consensus around the dates most widely accepted for his birth and death, lending institutional weight to the 1689 birth year despite the alternate dates that appear in some historical sources. He died on 4 July 1761 in London. His dual role as both a practitioner of the printing trade and an author of prose fiction in the Sentimental genre marks him as a figure whose professional identity was rooted in the written word from multiple directions across his lifetime.","In 1761, Samuel Richardson died in London, bringing to a close the life of one of the English language's most distinctive prose writers and novelists — a career that had combined the craft of fiction with the trade of printing in ways that proved inseparable throughout his working years.",{"@graph":12,"@context":48},[13,25],{"@id":14,"name":6,"@type":15,"sameAs":16,"birthDate":22,"deathDate":23,"description":24},"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q295941","Person",[14,17,18,19,20,21],"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Richardson","https://viaf.org/viaf/41845728/","https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80037044","https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL116746A","https://d-nb.info/gnd/118600346","1687-08-19","1761-07-04","English writer and printer (1689–1761)",{"@type":26,"author":27,"headline":30,"isBasedOn":31,"mainEntity":32,"reviewedBy":33,"articleBody":9,"dateCreated":34,"dateModified":35,"additionalProperty":36,"creativeWorkStatus":47},"Article",{"name":28,"@type":29},"Editorial Team","Organization","Samuel Richardson — biography",[14,17,19,20],{"@id":14},{"name":28,"@type":29},"2026-05-24T11:14:49.434118+00:00","2026-05-24T11:33:22.486440+00:00",[37,41,44],{"@type":38,"value":39,"propertyID":40},"PropertyValue","Q295941","wikidata",{"@type":38,"value":42,"propertyID":43},"0.952","factscore",{"@type":38,"value":45,"propertyID":46},"claude-sonnet-4-6","draftModel","AI-drafted, auto-published","https://schema.org","samuel-richardson",null,[52,56,60],{"tag_id":53,"tag_name":54,"tag_count":55},326,"men",18,{"tag_id":57,"tag_name":58,"tag_count":59},382,"children",6,{"tag_id":61,"tag_name":62,"tag_count":63},290937,"english-novelist",5,{"quotes":65,"pagination":131},[66,74,80,86,93,100,106,113,119,125],{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":69,"has_image":70,"author":71,"source":72,"quote_tag":73,"commentary":50},4028275,"And I write up to the conclusion of this day, that they may see how happy you have made me.",8,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":75,"quote_text":76,"author_id":5,"source_id":69,"has_image":70,"author":77,"source":78,"quote_tag":79,"commentary":50},4028267,"Has just left me, with the kindest, tenderest expressions, and gentlest behavior that ever blest a happy maiden.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":81,"quote_text":82,"author_id":5,"source_id":69,"has_image":70,"author":83,"source":84,"quote_tag":85,"commentary":50},4028257,"Every Hour he makes me happier, by his sweet condescension.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":87,"quote_text":88,"author_id":5,"source_id":69,"has_image":70,"author":89,"source":90,"quote_tag":91,"commentary":92},4028199,"A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is attributed to Samuel Richardson, a renowned English novelist and printer, best known for his epistolary novels such as \"Pamela\" (1740) and \"Clarissa\" (1747-1748). Written during the early 18th century, a time of social transition in England, where family obligations and class distinctions were deeply ingrained. Richardson's works often explored the complexities of relationships within these societal constraints.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nThe quote reveals a profound observation on human nature: it highlights that true loyalty and support come from outside blood ties. The phrase \"a brother may not be a friend\" suggests that familial bonds can sometimes feel obligatory or conditional, whereas friendships are built on mutual affection, trust, and acceptance. This tension underscores the idea that our most enduring connections often transcend biological relationships.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nWhen navigating personal or professional relationships, adopt a mindset that values genuine connections over inherited ones. Prioritize building strong networks of friends who will stand by you through thick and thin, rather than relying solely on familial ties for support and validation.",{"id":94,"quote_text":95,"author_id":5,"source_id":96,"has_image":70,"author":97,"source":98,"quote_tag":99,"commentary":50},3926674,"What likelihood is there of corrupting a man who has no ambition?",7,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":101,"quote_text":102,"author_id":5,"source_id":59,"has_image":70,"author":103,"source":104,"quote_tag":105,"commentary":50},3411756,"Tired of myself longing for what I have not.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":107,"quote_text":108,"author_id":5,"source_id":59,"has_image":70,"author":109,"source":110,"quote_tag":111,"commentary":112},3411747,"What poor wretches are we, Harriet, men as well as women! We pray for long life; and what is the issue of our prayers, but leave to outlive our teeth and our friends, to stand in the way of our elbowing relations, and to change our swan-skins for skins of buff; which nevertheless will keep out neither cold nor infirmity?",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis poignant quote is likely from Samuel Richardson's correspondence with his friend Harriet, possibly from the 1740s or 1750s. Richardson, a renowned English novelist, was known for his introspective letters to friends, which often expressed his deep-seated concerns about life, mortality, and the human condition. At this time, Richardson was in his mid-to-late 40s, a period when he had achieved significant success with his novels, such as \"Pamela\" and \"Clarissa,\" but was also grappling with personal losses, including the death of his wife and the decline of his own health.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe quote reveals a profound paradox in Richardson's thinking: despite his devout Christian upbringing and emphasis on prayer, he is resigned to the fact that life's prayers often yield outcomes that are neither fulfilling nor desirable. This sentiment suggests that Richardson, a master of sentimental fiction, was aware of the disconnect between his idealized portrayals of life and the harsh realities of aging, loss, and social isolation.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, recognize that even in the midst of success or achievement, you may still face the inevitability of decline and disconnection. Rather than praying for a perpetual state of youth or vitality, focus on cultivating a sense of acceptance and humility, acknowledging that your \"swan-skins\" will eventually give way to the realities of aging and mortality. This mindset can help you approach challenges with a more realistic and compassionate perspective, allowing you to reorient your priorities and find meaning in the present moment.",{"id":114,"quote_text":115,"author_id":5,"source_id":59,"has_image":70,"author":116,"source":117,"quote_tag":118,"commentary":50},3411744,"Handsome husbands often make a wife’s heart ache.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":120,"quote_text":121,"author_id":5,"source_id":59,"has_image":70,"author":122,"source":123,"quote_tag":124,"commentary":50},3411740,"From her instructions, I had an early notion, that it was much more noble to forgive an injury than to resent it: and to give a life than to take it.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"id":126,"quote_text":127,"author_id":5,"source_id":59,"has_image":70,"author":128,"source":129,"quote_tag":130,"commentary":50},3411737,"They will very probably, by remembring past mistakes, avoid many inconveniencies into which forgetfulness will run you lively ones.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":49,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":50},{},[],{"currentPage":132,"totalPages":133,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":134},1,25,10]