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It may be observed of good writing, as of good blood, that it is much easier to say what it is composed of than to compose it.

Charles Caleb Colton

It is the briefest yet wisest maxim which tells us to meddle not.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Brief Ourselves Wisdom
The victim to too severe a law is considered as a martyr rather than a criminal.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Crime Severe Victim
Our admiration of fine writing will always be in proportion to its real difficulty and its apparent ease.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Admire Difficult Fine Writing
That cowardice is incorrigible which the love of power cannot overcome.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Coward Love Power
To know the pains of power, we must go to those who have it; to know its pleasures, we must go to those who are seeking it: the pains of power are real, its pleasures imaginary.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Imagination Known Pain Pleasure Power
As the gout seems privileged to attack the bodies of the wealthy, so ennui seems to exert a similar prerogative over their minds.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Attack Body Mindset Privilege Wealth
The true measure of your character is what you do when nobody’s watching.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Character Measurement True Watch
Make no enemies; he is insignificant indeed that can do thee no harm.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Enemy Harm Yourself
Body and mind, like man and wife, do not always agree to die together.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Agreement Body Death Man Mindset Togetherness Wife
War is a game in which princes seldom win, the people never.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Game People War Win
There are two principles of established acceptance in morals; first, that self-interest is the mainspring of all of our actions, and secondly, that utility is the test of their value.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Establishment Principle Test Value
Logic and metaphysics make use of more tools than all the rest of the sciences put together, and do the least work.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Logic Science Togetherness Tools Work
An Irish man fights before he reasons, a Scotchman reasons before he fights, an Englishman is not particular as to the order of precedence, but will do either to accommodate his customers.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Customer Fight Man Reason
None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them; such persons covet secrets as a spendthrift covets money, for the purpose of circulation.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Money Person Purpose Secret
We are more inclined to hate one another for points on which we differ, than to love one another for points on which we agree.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Anand Thakur
We ask advice but we mean approbation.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Anand Thakur
I have found by experience that they who have spent all their lives in cities, improve their talents but impair their virtues; and strengthen their minds but weaken their morals.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Experience Finding Improvement Live Moral Talent Weakness
It is with antiquity as with ancestry, nations are proud of the one, and individuals of the other; but if they are nothing in themselves, that which is their pride ought to be their humiliation.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Anand Thakur
There are three modes of bearing the ills of life; by indifference, which is the most common; by philosophy, which is the most ostentatious; and by religion, which is the most effectual.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Difference Effect Life Philosophy Religion
Grant graciously what you cannot refuse safely and conciliate those you cannot conquer.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Conquer Grace Grant Refusal Safety Yourself
Wealth after all is a relative thing since he that has little and wants less is richer than he that has much and wants more.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Relative Rich Wealth
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.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Creature Excellence Feeling Language Learning School
Tyrants have not yet discovered any chains that can fetter the mind.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Chain Discover Mindset
If you cannot inspire a woman with love of you, fill her above the brim with love of herself; all that runs over will be yours.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Inspirational Run Woman Yourself
Strong as our passions are, they may be starved into submission, and conquered without being killed.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Kill Ourselves Passion Strong Submission
Some persons will tell you, with an air of the miraculous, that they recovered although they were given over; whereas they might with more reason have said, they recovered because they were given over.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Miracle Person Reason Recover
It is with nations as with individuals, those who know the least of others think the highest of themselves; for the whole family of pride and ignorance are incestuous, and mutually beget each other.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Each Other Family Ignorance Nation Pride

It may be observed of good writing, as of good blood, that it is much easier to say what it is composed of than to compose it.

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It may be observed of good writing, as of good blood, that it is much easier to say what it is composed of than to compose it.

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Popular Authors

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