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Joseph Addison Quotes - Page 5

All Quotes Affection Age Ambition Appearance Art Atheism Beauty Bravery Character Children Community Compassion Contentment Country Courage Criticism Critics Death Design Desire Destiny Earth Education Enthusiasm Eternity Evil Exercise Fame Fate Flattery Friends Friendship Funny Genius Giving Glory God Gold Gratitude Greatness Grief Happiness Health Heart Heaven Honesty Honor Hope Human Nature Humanity Humility Husband Imagination Imperfection Innocence Inspirational Inspiring Judgment Justice Kindness Knowledge Laughter Liberty Life Life And Death Literature Losing Love Lying Mankind Marriage Modesty Morality Mountain Music Nature Opportunity Pain Passion Perfection Philosophy Plato Praise Prejudice Pride Prosperity Quality Reading Religion Running Safety Satire Science Serenity Silence Sorrow Soul Success Suffering Sunshine Talent Time Tragedy Understanding Violence Virtue War Weakness Wine Wisdom Wit Work Writing

The end of a man's life is often compared to the winding up of a well written play, where the principal persons still act in character, whatever the fate in which they undergo.

The end of a man's life is often compared to the winding up of a well written play, where the principal persons still act in character, whatever the fate in which they undergo.

Character, Fate, Destiny

Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Francis Prévost, Francis William Blagdon (1833). “The Spectator, in Miniature: Being the Principal Religious, Moral, Humourous, Satirical and Critical Essays, in that Publication Compressed Into Two Volumes”, p.212

One would think that the larger the company is in which we are engaged, the greater variety of thoughts and subjects would be started into discourse; but, instead of this we find that conversation is never so much straightened and confined, as in numerous assemblies.

Thinking, Would Be, Assembly

Joseph Addison (2017). “Delphi Complete Works of Joseph Addison (Illustrated)”, p.2472, Delphi Classics

Cleanliness may be defined to be the emblem of purity of mind.

Mind, May, Cleanliness

Were not this desire of fame very strong, the difficulty of obtaining it, and the danger of losing it when obtained, would be sufficient to deter a man from so vain a pursuit.

Strong, Men, Desire

Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steel (1858). “The Spectator”, p.317

Wit is the fetching of congruity out of incongruity.

Wit, Incongruity

When a woman comes to her class, she does not employ her time in making herself look more advantageously what she really is, but endeavours to be as much another creature as she possibly can. Whether this happens because they stay so long and attend their work so diligently that they forget the faces and persons, which they first sat down with, or whatever it is, they seldom rise from the toilet the same woman they appeared when they began to dress

Maturity, Class, Long

Education is a companion which no misfortune can depress, no crime can destroy, no enemy can alienate, no despotism can enslave. At home, a friend, abroad, an introduction, in solitude a solace and in society an ornament. It chastens vice, it guides virtue, it gives at once grace and government to genius. Without it, what is man? A splendid slave, a reasoning savage.

Graduation, Education, Depressing

The ways of heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled in mazes, and perplex'd with errors; Our understanding traces them in vain, Lost and bewilder'd in the fruitless search; Nor sees with how much art the windings run, Nor where the regular confusion ends.

Running, Art, Dark

Joseph Addison (1868). “The Works of Joseph Addison”, p.481

Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men; but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass.

Wisdom, Lying, Son

Joseph Addison, Richard Steele (1853). “The Spectator”, p.383

Our delight in any particular study, art, or science rises and improves in proportion to the application which we bestow upon it. Thus, what was at first an exercise becomes at length an entertainment.

Art, Exercise, Science

Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1854). “The Spectator: With a Biographical and Critical Preface, and Explanatory Notes ...”, p.371

We find that Good and Evil happen alike to all Men on this Side of the Grave; and as the principle Design of Tragedy is to raise Commiseration and Terror in the Minds of the Audience, we shall defeat this great End, if we always make Virtue and Innocence happy and successful.

Successful, Men, Evil

Joseph Addison (2017). “Delphi Complete Works of Joseph Addison (Illustrated)”, p.5878, Delphi Classics

When love's well-timed 'tis not a fault to love; The strong, the brave, the virtuous, and the wise, Sink in the soft captivity together.

Life, Wise, Strong

Joseph Addison (1860). “The works of Joseph Addison: including the whole contents of Bp. Hurd's edition, with letters and other pieces not found in any previous collection; and Macaulay's essay on his life and works”, p.427

Riches are apt to betray a man into arrogance.

Pride, Men, Arrogance

To this end, nothing is to be more carefully consulted than plainness. In a lady's attire this is the single excellence; for to be what some people call fine, is the same vice, in that case, as to be florid is in writing or speaking.

Writing, People, Excellence

Sir Richard Steele, Joseph Addison (1829). “The Tatler and the Guardian: Complete in One Volume, with Notes, and a General Index”, p.388

It is easier for an artful Man, who is not in Love, to persuade his Mistress he has a Passion for her, and to succeed in his Pursuits, than for one who loves with the greatest Violence. True Love hath ten thousand Griefs, Impatiencies and Resentments, that render a Man unamiable in the Eyes of the Person whose Affection he sollicits.

Love, Grief, Passion

Joseph Addison (1712). “The Spectator”, p.53

It happened very providentially, to the honor of the Christian religion, that it did not take its rise in the dark illiterate ages of the world, but at a time when arts and sciences were at their height.

Christian, Art, Dark

Joseph Addison (1812). “The evidences of the Christian religion: with additional discourses on the following subjects, viz: Of God, and his attributes. The power and wisdom of God in the creation. The providence of God. The worship of God. Advantages of revelation above natural reason. Excellency of the Christian institution. Dignity of the Scripture language. Against atheism and infidelity. Against the modern free-thinkers. Immortality of the soul, and a future state. Death and judgment”, p.46

A man improves more by reading the story of a person eminent for prudence and virtue, than by the finest rules and precepts of morality.

Reading, Men, Example

Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1822). “The Spectator: with notes and illustrations. In six volumes”, p.305

Honour's a sacred tie, the law of kings, The noble mind's distinguishing perfection That aids and strengthens virtue where it meets her And imitates her actions where she is not: It is not to be sported with.

Kings, Law, Ties

Joseph Addison, Richard Hurd (1811). “The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, a New Ed., with Notes”, p.364

Honor's a fine imaginary notion, that draws in raw and unexperienced men to real mischiefs.

Real, Men, Honor

Joseph Addison (1761). “Preface. Poems on several occasions. Rosamond. An essay on Virgil's Georgics. Cato. The drummer, or, The haunted house. Poemata. Dialogues upon the usefulness of ancient medals”, p.307

E'en the rough rocks with tender myrtle bloom, and trodden weeds send out a rich perfume.

Weed, Rocks, Myrtle

Joseph Addison (1795). “Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments; Tending to Amuse the Fancy, and Inculcate Morality”, p.179

Nature does nothing without purpose or uselessly.

Nature, Doe, Purpose

"Cato, A Tragedy". Play by Joseph Addison, 1713.

We are always doing something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us.

Literature, Posterity

The Spectator no. 583, 20 Aug. 1714

Is there not some chosen curse, some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven, red with uncommon wrath, to blast the man who owes his greatness to his country's ruin!

Country, Integrity, Patriotic

Joseph Addison (1721). “The preface. Poems on several occasions. Rosamond. An opera. Notes on some of the foregoing stories in Ovid's Metamorphoses. An essay of Virgil's Georgics. Cato. A tragedy. Poemata. Dialogues upon the usefulness of ancient medals, especially in relation to the Latin and Greek poets. Three setts of medals illustrated by the ancient poets, in the foregoing dialogues”, p.278

Men who cherish for women the highest respect are seldom popular with them.

Respect, Men, Cherish

Hunting is not a proper employment for a thinking man.

Men, Thinking, Hunting

Quoted in Colin Jarman The Guinness Dictionary of Sports Quotations (1990).

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