William Shenstone
William Shenstone
William Shenstonewas an English poet and one of the earliest practitioners of landscape gardening through the development of his estate, The Leasowes...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth18 November 1714
atmosphere letters spirit
In a heavy oppressive atmosphere, when the spirits sink too low, the best cordial is to read over all the letters of one's friends.
enemy may littles
A rich dress adds but little to the beauty of a person. It may possibly create a deference, but that is rather an enemy to love.
learning oil lamps
I trimmed my lamp, consumed the midnight oil.
honesty character men
The difference there is betwixt honor and honesty seems to be chiefly the motive; the mere honest man does that from duty which the man of honor does for the sake of character.
learning coins may
Learning, like money, may be of so base a coin as to be utterly void of use.
kind flattery applause
Flattery of the verbal kind is gross. In short, applause is of too coarse a nature to be swallowed in the gross, though the extract or tincture be ever so agreeable.
opportunity garden epic
In designing a house and gardens, it is happy when there is an opportunity of maintaining a subordination of parts; the house so luckily place as to exhibit a view of the whole design. I have sometimes thought that there was room for it to resemble a epic or dramatic poem.
perfect assurance
Immoderate assurance is perfect licentiousness.
motivational unhappiness pleasure
What leads to unhappiness is making pleasure the chief aim.
money men rich
A miser grows rich by seeming poor. An extravagant man grows poor by seeming rich.
extravagance income cascade
A large retinue upon a small income, like a large cascade upon a small stream, tends to discover its tenuity.
enemy armor addresses
The making presents to a lady one addresses is like throwing armor into an enemy's camp, with a resolution to recover it.
simple mind relax
Glory relaxes often and debilitates the mind; censure stimulates and contracts,--both to an extreme. Simple fame is, perhaps, the proper medium.
infinite jest sensible
The fund of sensible discourse is limited; that of jest and badinerie is infinite.