Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addisonwas an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend, Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth1 May 1672
talent command eloquence
There is no talent so pernicious as eloquence to those who have it under command.
eternity scene variety
Eternity! thou pleasing dreadful thought! Through what variety of untried being, Through what new scenes and changes must we pass!
strong men desire
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.
honor mind example
The sense of honour is of so fine and delicate a nature, that it is only to be met with in minds which are naturally noble, or in such as have been cultivated by good examples, or a refined education.
philosophy justice sobriety
A state of temperance, sobriety and justice without devotion is a cold, lifeless, insipid condition of virtue, and is rather to be styled philosophy than religion.
hope men long
Hope calculates its scenes for a long and durable life; presses forward to imaginary points of bliss; and grasps at impossibilities; and consequently very often ensnares men into beggary, ruin and dishonor.
ideas sight giving
Words, when well chosen, have so great a force in them, that a description often gives us more lively ideas than the sight of things themselves.
numbers giving masters
The circumstance which gives authors an advantage above all these great masters, is this, that they can multiply their originals; or rather, can make copies of their works, to what number they please, which shall be as valuable as the originals themselves.
science sight perfect
Our sight is the most perfect and most delightful of all our senses.
knavery suspicious
Knavery is ever suspicious of knavery.
heart sides weakness
Guard thy heart on this weak side, where most our nature fails.
distance circles sound
A thousand trills and quivering sounds In airy circles o'er us fly, Till, wafted by a gentle breeze, They faint and languish by degrees, And at a distance die.
speech nine pounds
I have but nine-pence in ready money, but I can draw for a thousand pounds.
lost variety
Amidst the soft variety I'm lost.