239 quotes
Discretion is a perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life.
The Spectator (1711)
See they suffer death,
But in their deaths remember they are men,
Strain not the laws to make their tortures grievous.
Cato, A Tragedy (1713)
Method is not less requisite in ordinary conversation than in writing, provided a man would talk to make himself understood.
The Spectator (1711)
A just and reasonable modesty does not only recommend eloquence, but sets off every great talent which a man can be possessed of.
The Spectator (1711)
O ye powers that search
The heart of man, and weigh his inmost thoughts,
If I have done amiss, impute it not!
The best may err, but you are good.
Cato, A Tragedy (1713)
A thousand trills and quivering sounds
In airy circles o'er us fly,
Till, wafted by a gentle breeze,
They faint and languish by degrees,
And at a distance die.
Ode on St. Cecilia's Day (1699)
Much might be said on both sides.
The Spectator (1711)
Prejudice and self-sufficiency naturally proceed from inexperience of the world, and ignorance of mankind.
The free-holder: or political essays (1716)
Upon the whole, a contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world.
The Spectator (1711)
Young men soon give and soon forget affronts;
Old age is slow in both.
Cato, A Tragedy (1713)
A woman seldom asks advice before she has bought her wedding clothes.
The Spectator (1711)
There is no virtue so truly great and godlike as justice.
The Guardian (1713)
Charity is a virtue of the heart, and not of the hands.
The Guardian (1713)
Blessings may appear under the shape of pains, losses and disappointments; but let him have patience, and he will see them in their proper figures.
The Guardian (1713)
Talk not of love: thou never knew'st its force.
Cato, A Tragedy (1713)
Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week.
The Spectator (1711)
Mysterious love, uncertain treasure,
Hast thou more of pain or pleasure!
Chill'd with tears,
Kill'd with fears,
Endless torments dwell about thee:
Yet who would live, and live without thee!
Queen Elinor in Rosamond (1707)
The cast of mind which is natural to a discreet man, make him look forward into futurity, and consider what will be his condition millions of ages hence, as well as what it is at present.
The Tatler (1711)
Perhaps some arm, more lucky than the rest,
May reach his heart, and free the world from bondage.
Cato, A Tragedy (1713)
The discreet man finds out the talents of those he converses with, and knows how to apply them to proper uses.
The Tatler (1711)