Charles Caleb Colton
Charles Caleb Colton
Charles Caleb Coltonwas an English cleric, writer and collector, well known for his eccentricities...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionWriter
gravity wit
Reply to wit with gravity, and to gravity with wit.
littles facts sometimes
Theory is worth but little, unless it can explain its own phenomena, and it must effect this without contradicting itself; therefore, the facts are sometimes assimilated to the theory, rather than the theory to the facts.
loneliness firsts virtuous
Let those who would affect singularity with success first determine to be very virtuous, and they will be sure to be very singular.
passion greed may
The avarice of the miser may be termed the grand sepulchral of all his other passions, as they successively decay.
pride common-sense prudence
Pedantry prides herself on being wrong by rules; while common sense is contented to be right without them.
may invention condensation
Where we cannot invent, we may at least improve.
mean advice asks
We ask advice but we mean approbation.
family government community
The family is the most basic unit of government. As the first community to which a person is attached and the first authority under which a person learns to live, the family establishes society's most basic values.
art school speech
Eloquence is the language of nature, and cannot be learned in the schools; but rhetoric is the creature of art, which he who feels least will most excel in.
stupidity would-be fraud
There are some frauds so well conducted that it would be stupidity not to be deceived by them.
war writing fighting
Men will wrangle for religion, write for it, fight for it, die for it; anything but live for it.
vanity funeral world
Those who bequeath unto themselves a pompous funeral, are at just so much expense to inform the world of something that had much better be concealed; namely, that their vanity has survived themselves.
success achievement conceit
Success seems to be that which forms the distinction between confidence and conceit.
success hate men
For one man who sincerely pities our misfortunes, there are a thousand who sincerely hate our success.