Johnson Fables

No. 7 (Tuesday, 10 April 1750)

“Other things may be seized by might, or purchased with money, but knowledge is to be gained only by study, and study to be prosecuted only in retirement.”

Retiree: Your honor, let it please the court that Study has continually wasted my time and resulted in no fruit.
Study: Objection. Relevance?
Retiree: I’ll tell you the relevance, you piece of…
Judge: Careful, or I’ll hold you in contempt.
Study: See what happens when you ignore me?
Retiree: Oh, quit it. Look at the Judge. Your Honor, may I ask you some questions?
Judge: I’m not sure how…
Retiree: Did study get you your position on the Bench?
Judge: Well, to pass the bar I had to do a little studying in my day.
Retiree: But to become an elected Judge, did you study in solitude? Or did it come your way by bargaining and compromise?
Study: This isn’t about him.
Retiree: No, you’re right, it’s about you and how little you’ve done for me.
Study: Perhaps you’re looking at it the wrong way. Maybe you should have done more for me and then something would have fallen into place for you.
Retiree: You mean…? Oh. But isn’t it a bit late for me to gain Knowledge now? In this way?
Study: Knowledge is always gained too late.
Retiree: Your Honor, I rest my case. It is not the prosecution of Study, but the occurrence of Experience that imparts Knowledge.
[Study quietly steals away]