Joseph Addison Quotes About Mankind

Quotes about: Mankind

• When I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, every inordinate desire goes out; when I meet with the grief of parents upon a tombstone, my heart melts with compassion; when I see the tomb of the parents themselves, I consider the vanity of grieving for those whom we must quickly follow: when I see kings lying by those who deposed them, when I consider rival wits placed side by side, or the holy men that divided the world with their contests and disputes, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little competitions, factions, and debates of mankind.

  Joseph Addison

  Beautiful, Kings, Tombstone

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1853). “The Spectator: With a Biographical and Critical Preface, and Explanatory Notes ...”, p.83

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn.

  Joseph Addison

  Book, Legacy, Generations

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1826). “The Spectator: With Notes, and a General Index”, p.216

• As Vivacity is the Gift of Women, Gravity is that of Men.

  Joseph Addison

  Women, Gravity, Vivacity

  "Complete Works of Joseph Addison".

• It is impossible for us, who live in the latter ages of the world, to make observations in criticism, morality, or in any art or science, which have not been touched upon by others. We have little else left us but to represent the common sense of mankind in more strong, more beautiful, or more uncommon lights.

  Joseph Addison

  Beautiful, Strong, Art

  Joseph Addison, Richard Steele (1854). “The Spectator”, p.306

• The Gods in bounty work up storms about us, that give mankind occasion to exert their hidden strength, and throw our into practice virtues that shun the day, and lie concealed in the smooth seasons and the calms of life.

  Joseph Addison

  Life, Lying, Practice

  Joseph Addison, Henry George Bohn, Richard Hurd (1856). “The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison: Poems on several occasions. Poemata. Dialogues upon the usefulness of ancient medals, especially in relation to the Latin and Greek poets. Remarks on several parts of Italy, in the years 1701, 1702, 1703”, p.194

• It is a celebrated thought of Socrates, that if all the misfortunes of mankind were cast into a public stock, in order to be equally distributed among the whole species, those who now think themselves the most unhappy would prefer the share they are already possessed of, before that which would fall to them by such a division. [as they realise their problems could be worse!]

  Joseph Addison

  Gratitude, Fall, Thinking

  Joseph Addison, Richard Steele (1855). “The Spectator”, p.255

• Hypocrisy itself does great honor, or rather justice, to religion, and tacitly acknowledges it to be an ornament to human nature. The hypocrite would not be at so much pains to put on the appearance of virtue, if he did not know it was the most proper and effectual means to gain the love and esteem of mankind.

  Joseph Addison

  Pain, Hypocrite, Mean

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steel (1858). “The Spectator”, p.304

• There are no more useful members in a commonwealth than merchants. They knit mankind together in a mutual intercourse of good offices, distribute the gifts of Nature, find work for the poor, and wealth to the rich, and magnificence to the great.

  Joseph Addison

  Office, Together, Magnificence

  Joseph Addison (1868). “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.202

• A person may be qualified to do greater good to mankind and become more beneficial to the world, by morality without faith than by faith without morality.

  Joseph Addison

  World, May, Morality

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1854). “The Spectator: With a Biographical and Critical Preface, and Explanatory Notes ...”, p.408

• Prejudice and self-sufficiency naturally proceed from inexperience of the world, and ignorance of mankind.

  Joseph Addison

  Ignorance, Self, Inexperience

  Joseph Addison (1853). “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.139

• Thus I live in the world rather as a Spectator of mankind, than as one of the species, by which means I have made myself a speculative statesman, soldier, merchant, and artisan, without ever meddling with any practical part of life.

  Joseph Addison

  Mean, Soldier, World

  1711 In The Spectator, no.1,1Mar.

• Mankind are more indebted to industry than ingenuity; the gods set up their favors at a price, and industry is the purchaser.

  Joseph Addison

  Favors, Mankind, Ingenuity

• Women were formed to temper Mankind, and sooth them into Tenderness and Compassion; not to set an Edge upon their Minds, and blowup in them those Passions which are too apt to rise of their own Accord.

  Joseph Addison

  Women, Passion, Mind

  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.519

• Though there is a benevolence due to all mankind, none can question but a superior degree of it is to be paid to a father, a wife, or child. In the same manner, though our love should reach to the whole species, a greater proportion of it should exert itself towards that community in which Providence has placed us. This is our proper sphere of action, the province allotted us for the exercise of our civil virtues, and in which alone we have opportunities of expressing our goodwill to mankind.

  Joseph Addison

  Children, Father, Exercise

  Joseph Addison (1839). “Essays Moral and Humorous: Also Essays on Imagination and Taste”, p.187

• There is a kind of grandeur and respect which the meanest and most insignificant part of mankind endeavor to procure in the little circle of their friends and acquaintance. The poorest mechanic, nay, the man who lives upon common alms, gets him his set of admirers, and delights in that superiority which he enjoys over those who are in some respects beneath him. This ambition, which is natural to the soul of man, might, methinks, receive a very happy turn; and, if it were rightly directed, contribute as much to a person's advantage, as it generally does to his uneasiness and disquiet.

  Joseph Addison

  Ambition, Men, Circles

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1819). “The Spectator”, p.20

• Thus I live in the world rather as a spectator of mankind than as one of the species.

  Joseph Addison

  World, Mankind, Spectators

  1711 In The Spectator, no.1,1Mar.

• A contemplation of God's works, a generous concern for the good of mankind, and the unfeigned exercise of humility only, denominate men great and glorious.

  Joseph Addison

  Humility, Exercise, Greatness

• Music is the only sensual gratification which mankind may indulge in to excess without injury to their moral or religious feelings.

  Joseph Addison

  Music, Religious, Indulge In

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind

  Joseph Addison

  Book, Legacy, Genius

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1826). “The Spectator: With Notes, and a General Index”, p.216

• The first race of mankind used to dispute, as our ordinary people do now-a-days, in a kind of wild logic, uncultivated by rule of art.

  Joseph Addison

  Art, Race, People

  Joseph Addison (1854). “The Works of Joseph Addison: The Spectator”, p.560

• 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

  Vanity, Ill Will, Mind

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1852). “The Spectator”, p.675

• But in all despotic governments, though a particular prince may favour arts and letter, there is a natural degeneracy of mankind.

  Joseph Addison

  Art, Government, Letters

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1852). “The Spectator”, p.327

• One would fancy that the zealots in atheism would be exempt from the single fault which seems to grow out of the imprudent fervor of religion. But so it is, that irreligion is propagated with as much fierceness and contention, wrath and indignation, as if the safety of mankind depended upon it.

  Joseph Addison

  Wrath, Safety, Atheism

• In the common run of mankind, for one that is wise and good you find ten of a contrary character.

  Joseph Addison

  Wise, Running, Wisdom

  Joseph Addison (1858). “Works, Including the Whole Contents of Bp. Hurd's Edition: Withletters and Other Pieces Not Found in Any Previous Collection; and Macaulay's Essay on His Life and Works”, p.191

• There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply its place. For this reason mankind have been forced to invent a kind of artificial humanity, which is what we express by the word Good-Breeding.

  Joseph Addison

  Humanity, World, Bears

  Joseph Addison (1729). “The spectator”, p.322

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