Others proclaim the infirmities of a great man with satisfaction and complacence, if they discover none of the like in themselves. Joseph Addison More Quotes by Joseph Addison More Quotes From Joseph Addison It generally takes its rise either from an ill-will to mankind, a private inclination to make ourselves esteemed, an ostentation of wit, and vanity of being thought in the secrets of the world; or from a desire of gratifying any of these dispositions of mind in those persons with whom we converse. Joseph Addison ill-will vanity mind Gold is a wonderful clearer of the understanding; it dissipates every doubt and scruple in an instant. Joseph Addison understanding gold doubt There is noting truly valuable which can be purchased without pains and labor. The gods have set a price upon every real and noble pleasure. Joseph Addison noble pain real One may know a man that never conversed in the world, by his excess of good-breeding. Joseph Addison excess men world Honour's a sacred tie, the law of kings, Joseph Addison ties kings law A solid and substantial greatness of soul looks down with neglect on the censures and applauses of the multitude. Joseph Addison greatness soul looks Pedantry in learning is like hypocrisy inn religion--a form of knowledge without the power of it. Joseph Addison pedants form hypocrisy The ways of heaven are dark and intricate, Joseph Addison dark running art Religion contracts the circle of our pleasures, but leaves it wide enough for her votaries to expatiate in. Joseph Addison circles enough religion The Infusion of a China plant sweetened with the pith of an Indian Cane. Joseph Addison cooking tea food The productions of a great genius, with many lapses and inadvertences, are infinitely preferable to the works of an inferior kind of author which are scrupulously exact, and conformable to all the rules of correct writing. Joseph Addison lapses genius writing It is wonderful to see persons of sense passing away a dozen hours together in shuffling and dividing a pack of cards. Joseph Addison passing-away together cards Among the English authors, Shakespeare has incomparably excelled all others. That noble extravagance of fancy, which he had in so great perfection, thoroughly qualified him to touch the weak, superstitious part of his readers' imagination, and made him capable of succeeding where he had nothing to support him besides the strength of his own genius. Joseph Addison support imagination perfection It is certain that there is no other passion which does produce such contrary effects in so great a degree. But this may be said for love, that if you strike it out of the soul, life would be insipid, and our being but half animated. Joseph Addison passion soul love That courage which arises from the sense of our duty, and from the fear of offending Him that made us, acts always in a uniform manner, and according to the dictates of right reason. Joseph Addison offending uniforms bravery The lives of great men cannot be writ with any tolerable degree of elegance or exactness within a short time after their decease. Joseph Addison elegance degrees men It is not the business of virtue to extirpate the affections of the mind, but to regulate them. Joseph Addison affection virtue mind Our Grub-street biographers watch for the death of a great man like so many undertakers on purpose to make a penny of him. Joseph Addison purpose men watches There is something very sublime, though very fanciful, in Plato's description of the Supreme Being,--that truth is His body and light His shadow. According to this definition there is nothing so contradictory to his nature as error and falsehood. Joseph Addison errors plato truth What can be nobler than the idea it gives us of the Supreme Being? Joseph Addison bible giving ideas
