Wine gives a man nothing. It neither gives him knowledge nor wit; it only animates a man, and enables him to bring out what a dread of the company has repressed. It only puts in motion what had been locked up in frost. – Samuel Johnson
If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man, sir, should keep his friendship in a constant repair. – Samuel Johnson
There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern. – Samuel Johnson
Were it not for imagination a man would be as happy in arms of a chambermaid as of a duchess. – Samuel Johnson
For some obscure reason, some authorities seem bent on making the drinking of wine a ritual more complicated than chess. They have succeeded in inhibiting a large section of the public and depriving them of one of the greatest pleasures known to man. – Craig Claiborne, New York Times Cookbook