Were I to prescribe a rule for drinking, it should be formed upon a saying quoted by Sir William Temple: the first glass for myself, the second for my friends, the third for good humor, and the fourth for mine enemies.
JOSEPH ADDISONTemperance gives nature her full play, and enables her to exert herself in all her force and vigor.
More Joseph Addison Quotes
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The utmost extent of man’s knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing.
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There are infinite reveries, numberless extravagances, and a perpetual train of vanities which pass through both.
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Animals, in their generation, are wiser than the sons of men; but their wisdom is confined to a few particulars, and lies in a very narrow compass.
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Riches expose a man to pride and luxury, and a foolish elation of heart.
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A man who has any relish for fine writing either discovers new beauties or receives stronger impressions from the masterly strokes of a great author every time he peruses him; besides that he naturally wears himself into the same manner of speaking and thinking.
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If men of eminence are exposed to censure on one hand, they are as much liable to flattery on the other. If they receive reproaches which are not due to them, they likewise receive praises which they do not deserve.
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One of the most important but one of the most difficult things for a powerful mind is to be its own master.
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I consider the vanity of grieving for those whom we must quickly follow: when I see kings lying by those who deposed them, when I consider rival wits placed side by side, or the holy men that divided the world with their contests and disputes.
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Nature in her whole drama never drew such a part; she has sometimes made a fool, but a coxcomb is always of a man’s own making.
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A wealthy doctor who can help a poor man, and will not without a fee, has less sense of humanity than a poor ruffian, who kills a rich man to supply his necessities.
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He who would pass his declining years with honor and comfort, should, when young, consider that he may one day become old, and remember when he is old, that he has once been young.
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Nature is full of wonders; every atom is a standing miracle, and endowed with such qualities, as could not be impressed on it by a power and wisdom less than infinite.
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That aids and strengthens virtue where it meets her And imitates her actions where she is not: It is not to be sported with.
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It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are the more gentle and quiet we become towards the defects of others.
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Courage is the thing. All goes if courage goes.
JOSEPH ADDISON






