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Attempts at reform, when they fail, strengthen despotism, as he that struggles tightens those cords he does not succeed in breaking.

Charles Caleb Colton

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
Women that are the least bashful are often the most modest.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Anand Thakur
The good opinion of our fellow men is the strongest, though not the purest motive to virtue.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Goodness Man Motive Opinion Ourselves Strong Virtue
Deliberate with caution, but act with decision and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Act Decision Deliberate Firm Grace
Human foresight often leaves its proudest possessor only a choice of evils.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Choice Evil Human Leave
It is not every man that can afford to wear a shabby coat.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Afford Man Poor
None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Fond Safety Secret
He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Energy Enough Place Plant Virtue
Justice to my readers compels me to admit that I write because I have nothing to do; justice to myself induces me to add that I will cease to write the moment I have nothing to say.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Admit Justice Moments Myself Reading
Let those who would affect singularity with success first determine to be very virtuous, and they will be sure to be very singular.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Affect Determination Success Virtue
The more gross the fraud the more glibly will it go down, and the more greedily be swallowed, since folly will always find faith where impostors will find imprudence.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Faith Fraud Greedy Imposter Prudent Swallow
We may anticipate bliss, but who ever drank of that enchanted cup unalloved?
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Anticipate Bliss Drink Enchant Love
Hope is a prodigal young heir, and experience is his banker.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Experience Himself Hope Prodigy Young
Ladies of Fashion starve their happiness to feed their vanity, and their love to feed their pride.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Fashion Happiness Love Pride Starve
That is fine benevolence, finely executed, which, like the Nile, comes from hidden sources.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Execution Fine Hide Source
Pedantry prides herself on being wrong by rules; while common sense is contented to be right without them.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Pride Right Rule Satisfaction Wrong
In life we shall find many men that are great, and some that are good, but very few men that are both great and good.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Goodness Greatness Life Man
Times of great calamity and confusion have been productive for the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace. The brightest thunder-bolt is elicited from the darkest storm.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Bright Calm Confusion Darkness Greatness Storm Time
Ignorance is a blank sheet, on which we may write; but error is a scribbled one, on which we must first erase.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Blank Erase Errors Ignorance Writing
The true motives of our actions, like the real pipes of an organ, are usually concealed; but the gilded and hollow pretext is pompously placed in the front for show.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Goal Hollow Motive Place Show True
Some read to think, these are rare; some to write, these are common; and some read to talk, and these form the great majority.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Greatness Majority Rare Reading Thinking Writing
That is true beauty which has not only a substance, but a spirit; a beauty that we must intimately know, justly to appreciate.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Appreciate Beautiful Intimate Substance True
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
Temperate men drink the most, because they drink the longest.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Drink Temperature
There are three kinds of praise, that which we yield, that which we lend, and that which we pay. We yield it to the powerful from fear, we lend it to the weak from interest, and we pay it to the deserving from gratitude.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Deserve Fear Gratitude Kind Pay Powerful Praise
Pain may be said to follow pleasure as its shadow; but the misfortune is that in this particular case, the substance belongs to the shadow, the emptiness to its cause.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Case Empty Follow Misfortune Pain Shadow Substance
A public debt is a kind of anchor in the storm; but if the anchor be too heavy for the vessel, she will be sunk by that very weight which was intended for her preservation.
CHARLES CALEB COLTON

Anand Thakur

Attempts at reform, when they fail, strengthen despotism, as he that struggles tightens those cords he does not succeed in breaking.

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Attempts at reform, when they fail, strengthen despotism, as he that struggles tightens those cords he does not succeed in breaking.

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Popular Authors

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