Joseph Addison Quotes About Literature

Quotes about: Literature

• A man should always consider how much he has more than he wants.

  Joseph Addison

  Men, Aggravation, Literature

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1826). “The Spectator; with Notes, and a General Index”, p.346

• There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice.

  Joseph Addison

  Advice, Literature, Good Advice

  Sir Richard Steele, Alexander Chalmers, Joseph Addison (1806). “The Spectator”, p.208

• A true critic ought to dwell upon excellencies rather than imperfections, to discover the concealed beauties of a writer, and communicate to the world such things as are worth their observation.

  Joseph Addison

  House, Imperfection, Literature

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

• Nothing is more gratifying to the mind of man than power or dominion.

  Joseph Addison

  Christian, Men, Mind

  Joseph Addison, Richard Hurd (1811). “The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, a New Ed., with Notes”, p.25

• Modesty is not only an ornament, but also a guard to virtue.

  Joseph Addison

  Ornaments, Literature, Modesty

  Joseph Addison (1721). “THE WORKS OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE JOSEPH ADDISON, Esq; In FOUR VOLUMES.: VOLUME the THIRD”, p.218

• Jesters do often prove prophets.

  Joseph Addison

  Literature, Prophet, Jester

• Man is subject to innumerable pains and sorrows by the very condition of humanity, and yet, as if nature had not sown evils enough in life, we are continually adding grief to grief and aggravating the common calamity by our cruel treatment of one another.

  Joseph Addison

  Honesty, Pain, Integrity

  Joseph Addison (1837). “The Spectator, no. 1-314”, p.251

• The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing.

  Joseph Addison

  Knowledge, Men, Literature

  Joseph Addison (1794). “Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments: Tending to Amuse the Fancy, and Inculcate Morality”, p.230

• Those Marriages generally abound most with Love and Constancy, that are preceded by a long Courtship.

  Joseph Addison

  Marriage, Long, Literature

  Joseph Addison (1729). “The spectator”, p.43

• When men are easy in their circumstances, they are naturally enemies to innovations.

  Joseph Addison

  Men, Goal, Innovation

  Joseph Addison, Richard Hurd (1811). “A discourse on ancient and modern learning. The drummer; or, The haunted house. The Free-holder. Of Christian religion”, p.198

• The post of honour is a private station.

  Joseph Addison

  Literature, Honour, Posts

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

• The woman that deliberates is lost.

  Joseph Addison

  Literature, Losing, Lost

  'Cato' (1713) act 4, sc. 1, l. 31

• I would fain ask one of these bigotted Infidels, supposing all the great Points of Atheism... were laid together and formed into a kind of Creed, according to the Opinions of the most celebrated Atheists; I say, supposing such a Creed as this were formed, and imposed upon any one People in the World, whether it would not require an infinitely greater Measure of Faith, than any Set of Articles which they so violently oppose.

  Joseph Addison

  Faith, Atheist, Religion

  The Spectator, No. 185, October 2, 1711.

• Mirth is like a flash of lightning, that breaks through a gloom of clouds, and glitters for a moment; cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity.

  Joseph Addison

  Clouds, Break Through, Serenity

  'The Spectator' no. 381, 17 May 1712

• Suspicion is not less an enemy to virtue than to happiness; he that is already corrupt is naturally suspicious, and he that becomes suspicious will quickly be corrupt.

  Joseph Addison

  Happiness, Enemy, Literature

  Joseph Addison (1793). “A Collection of Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments”, p.378

• Plenty of people wish to become devout, but no one wishes to be humble.

  Joseph Addison

  Humble, Humility, People

• The chief ingredients in the composition of those qualities that gain esteem and praise, are good nature, truth, good sense, and good breeding.

  Joseph Addison

  Quality, Literature, Gains

• 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!

  Joseph Addison

  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

• The most violent appetites in all creatures are lust and hunger; the first is a perpetual call upon them to propagate their kind, the latter to preserve themselves.

  Joseph Addison

  Lust, Literature, Firsts

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1826). “The Spectator: With Notes, and a General Index”, p.156

• To be perfectly just is an attribute of the divine nature; to be so to the utmost of our abilities, is the glory of man.

  Joseph Addison

  Men, Umpires, Literature

  Richard Steele, Joseph Addison (1794). “The Guardian”, p.67

• I have somewhere met with the epitaph on a charitable man which has pleased me very much. I cannot recollect the words, but here is the sense of it: 'What I spent I lost; what I possessed is left to others; what I gave away remains with me.'

  Joseph Addison

  Life, Men, Literature

  "Complete Works of Joseph Addison " (Illustrated),

• Mutability of temper and inconsistency with ourselves is the greatest weakness of human nature.

  Joseph Addison

  Nature, Weakness, Literature

  Joseph Addison (1828). “A second selection from the papers of Addison in the Spectator and Guardian, for the use of young persons, by E. Berens”, p.40

• Among all kinds of Writing, there is none in which Authors are more apt to miscarry than in Works of Humour, as there is none in which they are more ambitious to excel.

  Joseph Addison

  Writing, Ambitious, Literature

  Joseph Addison, Richard Hurd (1811). “The Works: In Six Volumes”, p.84

• There is not so variable a thing in nature as a lady's head-dress.

  Joseph Addison

  Fashion, Nature, Dresses

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1822). “The Spectator: with notes and illustrations. In six volumes”, p.378

• The stars shall fade away, the sun himself Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years, But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, Unhurt amidst the wars of elements, The wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds.

  Joseph Addison

  Birthday, Crush, Easter

  Joseph Addison (1811). “The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison”, p.288

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