...a natural one. Here I am thinking of Dr. Johnson's remark about the execution of Rev. William Dodd: "When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully" (Boswell, 1931/1791, p. 725). Further testimony on this point came from a condemned criminal, who,...

...hanging. This phenomenon is similar to the one described by Samuel Johnson, in his famous observation: "When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully."24 In many instances, the promises to God made in the foxhole have been fulfilled when...

...hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. mHttHEUI 6: I. 5. II, "\\Tien a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully," wrote Dr. Johnson. In the early days of Christianity, ashes were placed on the heads of penitents at...

...its part in the battle for human rights. "Depend upon it," said Dr. Johnson, "when a man knows that he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully. " Constant readers of the admirable daily Press (not excluding the equally admirable sabbath newspapers,...

...opens his account of the first day of the trial with another proleptic gesture, quoting Dr. Johnson: "'Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be...fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully'" (70). Hoskins suggests that the prospect of capital punishment "concentrated the mind not only of the...

...and the 'historical agenda' has him scheduled for the chopping block. It's like Samuel Johnson said: 'Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be...fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.' Not even Charles is silly enough to let his petty irritation with Wentworth stand in the way of staying...

...this respect a death sentence was of inestimable value. We may remember Samuel Johnson's comment — "when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully" — as satire, and when Johnson, one of the most prominent of the early English penal reformers, said...

...hand it right back to us and buy their education. like their pastrami. elsewhere Samuel Johnson said. "When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight. it concentrates his mind wondertully." Our equivalent hanging dealing with students and their families as customers — has...

...Johnson produced his famous quip: "Why should you think so? Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows that he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully." In 1783 Johnson made his final comment on Dodd's case: "I was very willing to have him pardoned, that...

...not the art of getting drunk. - What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. - Depend upon it , sir — when a man knows he is to...a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully. - Q: Why, sir, in your dictionary, do you define 'pastern' as the 'knee of a horse? A: Ignorance, madam,...