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Charles Caleb Colton Quotes - Page 11

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There are male as well as female gossips.

There are male as well as female gossips.

Charles Caleb Colton
Gossip, Males, Female

The head of dullness, unlike the tail of the torpedo, loses nothing of the benumbing and lethargizing influence by reiterated discharges.

Charles Caleb Colton
Tails, Influence, Torpedoes

The true motives of our actions, like the real pipes of an organ, are usually concealed; but the gilded and hollow pretext is pompously placed in the front for show.

Charles Caleb Colton
Real, Deceit, Our Actions
Charles Caleb Colton (1832). “Lacon: Or Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.62

Cruel men are the greatest lovers of Mercy, avaricious men of generosity, and proud men of humility; that is to say, in other, not in themselves.

Charles Caleb Colton
Humility, Men, Generosity
Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.200

It may be observed of good writing, as of good blood, that it is much easier to say what it is composed of than to compose it.

Charles Caleb Colton
Writing, Blood, May
Charles Caleb Colton (1832). “Lacon: Or Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.9

A coxcomb begins by determining that his own profession is the first; and he finishes by deciding that he is the first of profession.

Charles Caleb Colton
Firsts, Profession
Charles Caleb Colton (1832). “Lacon: Or Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.155

No two things differ more than hurry and dispatch. Hurry is the mark of a weak mind, dispatch of a strong one. A weak man in office, like a squirrel in a cage, is laboring eternally, but to no purpose, and is in constant motion without getting on a job; like a turnstile, he is in everybody's way, but stops nobody; he talks a great deal, but says very little; looks into everything but sees nothing; and has a hundred irons in the fire, but very few of them are hot, and with those few that are, he only burns his fingers.

Charles Caleb Colton
Strong, Jobs, Men

As a man of pleasure, by a vain attempt to be more happy than any man can be, is often more miserable than most men are, so the sceptic, in a vain attempt to be wise beyond what is permitted to man, plunges into a darkness more deplorable, and a blindness more incurable than that of the common herd, whom he despises, and would fain instruct.

Charles Caleb Colton
Wise, Men, Darkness
Charles Caleb Colton (1837). “Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words : Addressed to Those who Think”, p.97

In death itself there can be nothing terrible, for the act of death annihilates sensation; but there are many roads to death, and some of them justly formidable, even to the bravest.

Charles Caleb Colton
Terrible, Formidable, Sensations
Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.186

Genius, when employed in works whose tendency it is to demoralize and to degrade us, should be contemplated with abhorrence rather than with admiration; such a monument of its power, may indeed be stamped with immortality, but like the Coliseum at Rome, we deplore its magnificence because we detest the purposes for which it was designed.

Charles Caleb Colton
Rome, Purpose, Genius
Charles Caleb Colton (1821). “Lacon: or, Many things in few words”, p.239

Insults are engendered from vulgar minds, like toadstools from a dunghill.

Charles Caleb Colton
Mind, Toadstools, Insult

In pulpit eloquence, the grand difficulty lies here--to give the subject all the dignity it so fully deserves, without attaching any importance to ourselves. The Christian messenger cannot think too highly of his prince, nor too humbly of himself.

Charles Caleb Colton
Christian, Lying, Thinking
Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.44

Wit may do very well for a mistress, but [I] should prefer reason for a wife.

Charles Caleb Colton
Wife, Mistress, May
Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.47

Physical courage, which despises all danger, will make a man brave in one way; and moral courage, which despises all opinion, will make a man brave in another.

Charles Caleb Colton
Inspirational, Courage, Men
Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.92

To be continually subject to the breath of slander, will tarnish the purest virtue, as a constant exposure to the atmosphere will obscure the brightness of the finest gold; but in either case, the real value of both continues the same, although the currency may be somewhat impeded.

Charles Caleb Colton
Real, Atmosphere, Gold
Charles Caleb COLTON (1849). “L.P.”, p.181

Secrecy of design, when combined with rapidity of execution, like me column that guided Israel in the deserts, becomes the guardian pillar of light and fire to our friends, a cloud of overwhelming and impenetrable darkness to our enemies.

Charles Caleb Colton
Fire, Clouds, Light

Villainy that is vigilant will be an overmatch for virtue, if she slumber at her post.

Charles Caleb Colton
Slumber, Virtue, Posts
Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.226

Early rising not only gives us more life in the same number of years, but adds, likewise, to their number; and not only enables us to enjoy more of existence in the same time, but increases also the measure.

Charles Caleb Colton
Morning, Years, Rising Up
Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”

We injure mysteries, which are matters of faith by any attempt at explanation in order to make them matters of reason.

Charles Caleb Colton
Order, Matter, Mystery
Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”

Modesty is the richest ornament of a woman ... the want of it is her greatest deformity.

Charles Caleb Colton
Women, Ornaments, Want
Charles Caleb Colton (1821). “Lacon: or, Many things in few words”, p.139

Subtract from the great man all that he owes to opportunity, all that he owes to chance, and all that he gained by the wisdom of his friends and the folly of his enemies, and the giant will often be seen to be a pygmy.

Charles Caleb Colton
Opportunity, Men, Often Is

He that gives a portion of his time and talent to the investigation of mathematical truth, will come to all other questions with a decided advantage over his opponents.

Charles Caleb Colton
Giving, Opponents, Talent
Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”, p.159

So long as lust, whether of the world or flesh, smells sweet in our nostrils, so long we are loathsome to God.

Charles Caleb Colton
Sweet, Smell, Long

Love, like the cold bath, is never negative, it seldom leaves us where it finds us; if once we plunge into it, it will either heighten our virtues, or inflame our vices.

Charles Caleb Colton
Love, Vices, Negative
Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”, p.184

The learned languages are indispensable to form the gentleman and the scholar, and are well worth all the labor that they have cost us, provided they are valued not for themselves alone, which would make a pedant, but as a foundation for further acquirements.

Charles Caleb Colton
Gentleman, Foundation, Cost
Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.123

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