Who said “The drama's laws, the drama's patrons give, for we that live to please, must please to…”?

Verified

Samuel Johnson. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourcePrologue at the Opening of Drury Lane Theatre (1747)

Find Prologue at the Opening of Drury Lane Theatre on Amazon · paid link

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“The drama's laws, the drama's patrons give, for we that live to please, must please to live.”
— Samuel Johnson
VerifiedPrologue at the Opening of Drury Lane Theatre (1747) · evidenceTheater
Report

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Prologue at the Opening of Drury Lane Theatre (1747).

APA

Johnson, S. (n.d.). The drama's laws, the drama's patrons give, for we that live to please, must please to live. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39539-the-dramas-laws-the-dramas-patrons-give-for/

MLA

Johnson, Samuel. “The drama's laws, the drama's patrons give, for we that live to please, must please to live.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39539-the-dramas-laws-the-dramas-patrons-give-for/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Johnson, Samuel. “The drama's laws, the drama's patrons give, for we that live to please, must please to live.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39539-the-dramas-laws-the-dramas-patrons-give-for/.

Related quotes

“The theater needs continual reminders that there is nothing more debasing than the work of those who do well what is not worth doing at all.”
— Gore Vidal
Verified"Love Love Love," Partisan Review (Spring 1959) · evidenceDetails & citeTheater
Report

More quotes by Samuel Johnson

“He who praises everybody, praises nobody.”
VerifiedJohnson's Works (1787), vol. XI, p. 216; This set included the Life of Samuel Johnson by Sir John Hawkins · evidenceDetails & citePraise
Report
All 341 Samuel Johnson quotes →