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
men order society
There is a sort of economy in Providence that one shall excel where another is defective, in order to make men more useful to each other, and mix them in society.
enemy stories littles
There is nobody so weak of invention that cannot make some little stories to villify his enemy.
sex slander understood
It is always to be understood that a lady takes all you detract from the rest of her sex to be a gift to her.
imagination perfection support
Among the English authors, Shakespeare has incomparably excelled all others. That noble extravagance of fancy, which he had in so great perfection, thoroughly qualified him to touch the weak, superstitious part of his readers' imagination, and made him capable of succeeding where he had nothing to support him besides the strength of his own genius.
ill-will vanity secret
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.
running art dark
The ways of heaven are dark and intricate, Puzzled in mazes, and perplex'd with errors; Our understanding traces them in vain, Lost and bewilder'd in the fruitless search; Nor sees with how much art the windings run, Nor where the regular confusion ends.
music religious art
Music, among those who were styled the chosen people, was a religious art.
moon periods
Waning moons their settled periods keep, to swell the billows and ferment the deep.
fall soul
A soul exasperated in ills, falls out With everything, its friend, itself.
ignorance yield evil
Misery and ignorance are always the cause of great evils. Misery is easily excited to anger, and ignorance soon yields to perfidious counsels.
dust littles looks
Look what a little vain dust we are!
love passion soul
It is certain that there is no other passion which does produce such contrary effects in so great a degree. But this may be said for love, that if you strike it out of the soul, life would be insipid, and our being but half animated.
soul divinity
T is the Divinity that stirs within us.
mind affection virtue
It is not the business of virtue to extirpate the affections of the mind, but to regulate them.