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Joseph Addison Quotes - Page 8

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

Content thyself to be obscurely good. When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway, the post of honoris a private station.

Content thyself to be obscurely good. When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway, the post of honoris a private station.

Men, Honor, Vices

'Cato' (1713) act 4, sc. 1, l. 319

The consciousness of being loved softens the keenest pang even at the moment of parting; yea, even the eternal farewell is robbed of half of its bitterness when uttered in accents that breathe love to the last sigh.

Love, Farewell, Half

Nature has laid out all her art in beautifying the face; she has touched it with vermilion, planted in it a double row of ivory, made it the seat of smiles and blushes, lighted it up and enlivened it with the brightness of the eyes, hung it on each side with curious organs of sense, given it airs and graces that cannot be described, and surrounded it with such a flowing shade of hair as sets all its beauties in the most agreeable light.

Art, Eye, Light

Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1853). “The Spectator”, p.43

With regard to donations always expect the most from prudent people, who keep their own accounts.

Inspirational, People, Prudent

I consider an human soul without education like marble in the quarry, which shows none of its inherent beauties till the skill of the polisher fetches out the colours, makes the surface shine, and discovers every ornamental cloud, spot and vein that runs through the body of it.

Education, Running, Clouds

Joseph Addison (2017). “Delphi Complete Works of Joseph Addison (Illustrated)”, p.3178, Delphi Classics

Temperance gives nature her full play, and enables her to exert herself in all her force and vigor.

Play, Giving, Vigor

Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1747). “The Spectator”, p.158

A true critic ought to dwell rather upon excellencies than imperfections

Inspiration, Imperfection, Critics

'The Spectator' no. 291, 2 February 1712.

Colors speak all languages.

Color, Language, Speak

Joseph Addison (1761). “The Works of the Late Right Honorable Joseph Addison, Esq;”, p.468

Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty acts; in a uniform manner.

Courage, Men, Bravery

Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal of his candles on a rejoicing night, let her look to him and keep him out of harm's way; or the world will be apt to say, she has a mind to be a widow before her time. She ought, in such cases, to exert the authority of the curtain lecture; and if she finds him of a rebellious disposition, to tame him, as they do birds of prey, by dinning him in the ears all night long.

Husband, Night, Men

Joseph Addison, Thomas Tickell (1811). “The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison: With the Exception of His Numbers of the Spectator”, p.48

He who would pass his declining years with honor and comfort, should, when young, consider that he may one day become old, and remember when he is old, that he has once been young.

Time, Years, Honor

Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought.

Time, Time Management, Eternity

'Cato' (1713) act 5, sc. 1, l. 1

The jealous man's disease is of so malignant a nature, that it converts all it takes into its own nourishment.

Jealousy, Disease, Jealously

"The Works of Joseph Addison: The Spectator, no. 1-314".

Supposing all the great points of atheism were formed into a kind of creed, I would fain ask whether it would not require an infinite greater measure of faith than any set of articles which they so violently oppose.

Atheism, Kind, Infinite

Joseph Addison (1839). “Essays, Moral and Humorous: Also Essays on Imagination and Taste”, p.72

Physic is, for the most part, only a substitute for temperance and exercise.

Health, Exercise, Substitutes

Religion contracts the circle of our pleasures, but leaves it wide enough for her votaries to expatiate in.

Circles, Religion, Enough

Joseph Addison, Richard Steele (1855). “The Spectator”, p.60

Music, when thus applied, raises noble hints in the mind of the hearer, and fills it with great conceptions. It strengthens devotion, and advances praise into rapture.

Music, Mind, Praise

"The Evidences of the Christian Religion: To which are Added, Several Discourses Against Atheism and Infidelity, and in Defence of the Christian Revelation".

Plutarch has written an essay on the benefits which a man may receive from his enemies; and among the good fruits of enmity, mentions this in particular, that by the reproaches which it casts upon us, we see the worst side of ourselves.

Men, Enemy, May

Joseph Addison (1839). “Essays, Moral and Humorous: Also Essays on Imagination and Taste”, p.109

Vanity is the natural weakness of an ambitious man, which exposes him to the secret scorn and derision of those he converses with, and ruins the character he is so industrious to advance by it.

Character, Men, Vanity

Joseph Addison, Richard Hurd, Henry George Bohn (1872). “The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison”, p.158

Music can noble hints impart, Engender fury, kindle love, With unsuspected eloquence can move, And manage all the man with secret art.

Music, Art, Moving

Joseph Addison (1868). “The Works of Joseph Addison”, p.425

There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.

Beautiful, Imagination, Beautiful Women

Sir Richard Steele, Joseph Addison (1861). “History, Opinions, and Lucubrations, of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq: From the "Tatler"”, p.174

A common civility to an impertinent fellow, often draws upon one a great many unforeseen troubles; and if one doth not take particular care, will be interpreted by him as an overture of friendship and intimacy.

Care, Common, Trouble

Joseph Addison (1721). “Remarks on several parts of Italy , &c in the years 1701, 1702, 1703. The Tatler. By Isaac Bickerstaffe, esq. The Spectator, no.1-89”, p.314

The discreet man finds out the talents of those he converses with, and knows how to apply them to proper uses. Accordingly, if we look into particular communities and divisions of men, we may observe that it is the discreet man, not the witty, nor the learned, nor the brave, who guides the conversation, and gives measures to the society.

Witty, Men, Giving

Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1853). “The Spectator”, p.130

Beauty soon grows familiar to the lover, Fades in his eye, and palls upon the sense.

Beauty, Beautiful, Eye

Joseph Addison, Thomas Tickell (1765). “Rosamond. Cato. The drummer, or The haunted house. The late trial and conviction of Count Tariff. The Whig-Examiner. The lover”, p.80

Men of warm imaginations and towering thoughts are apt to overlook the goods of fortune which are near them, for something that glitters in the sight at a distance; to neglect solid and substantial happiness for what is showy and superficial; and to contemn that good which lies within their reach, for that which they are not capable of attaining. Hope calculates its schemes for a long and durable life; presses forward to imaginary points of bliss; grasps at impossibilities; and consequently very often ensnares men into beggary, ruin, and dishonour.

Happiness, Distance, Lying

Joseph Addison (1837). “The Works of Joseph Addison: The Spectator, no. 315-635”, p.308

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