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
grave living mirth nor pleasant thee thy whether wit
In all thy humors, whether grave or mellow, Thou'rt such a touchy, testy, pleasant fellow, hast so much wit and mirth and spleen about thee, there is no living with thee, nor without thee
life mirth thee
In all thy humours, whether grave or mellow, Thou'rt such a touchy, testy, pleasant fellow, Hast so much wit and mirth and spleen about thee, There is no living with thee, nor without thee.
optimism mind mirth
I have always preferred cheerfulness to mirth. The latter I consider as an act, the former as a habit of mind. Mirth is short and transient, cheerfulness fixed and permanent.
men serious mirth
Man is the merriest species of the creation; all above or below him are serious.
eye mirth innocence
There is nothing which one regards so much with an eye of mirth and pity as innocence when it has in it a dash of folly.
laughter men mirth
Man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter.
above knowledge next raises truly virtue
Knowledge is that which, next to virtue, truly raises one person above another.
conversation himself less man method provided requisite talk understood
Method is not less requisite in conversation than in writing, provided a man would talk to make himself understood
enemy happiness noise retired true
True happiness is of a retired nature, and an enemy to pomp and noise
call rank romans tis
Tis pride, rank pride, and haughtiness of soul; I think the Romans call it stoicism
command deserve mortals tis
Tis not in mortals to command success, But we'll do more, Sempronius; we'll deserve it
atheism atheist deny faith greater infinitely measure receive requires truths
To be an atheist requires an infinitely greater measure of faith than to receive all the great truths which atheism would deny
dull growing next step
We are growing serious, and let me tell you, that's the very next step to being dull
growing next step
We are growing serious, and let me tell you, that's the next step to being dull.