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Joseph Addison
209 quotes
“Music, the greatest good that mortals know, And all of heaven we have below.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1692 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Song for St. Cecilia's Day (1692), st. 3
“Music religious heat inspires, It wakes the soul, and lifts it high, And wings it with sublime desires, And fits it to bespeak the Deity.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1692 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Song for St. Cecilia's Day (1692), st. 4
“When time itself shall be no more, And all things in confusion hurl'd, Music shall then exert it's power, And sound survive the ruins of the world: Then saints and angels shall agree In one eternal jubilee: All Heaven shall echo with their hymns divine, And God himself with pleasure see The whole creation in a chorus join.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1692 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Song for St. Cecilia's Day (1692)
“Consecrate the place and day To music and Cecilia. Let no rough winds approach, nor dare Invade the hallow'd bounds, Nor rudely shake the tuneful air, Nor spoil the fleeting sounds. Nor mournful sigh nor groan be heard, But gladness dwell on every tongue; Whilst all, with voice and strings prepar'd, Keep up the loud harmonious song, And imitate the blest above, In joy, and harmony, and love.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1692 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Song for St. Cecilia's Day (1692)
“On you, my lord, with anxious fear I wait, And from your judgment must expect my fate.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1695 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Poem to His Majesty (1695), l. 21
Also quoted by: ジョゼフ・アディソン (ja)
“Let echo, too, perform her part, Prolonging every note with art; And in a low expiring strain, Play all the concert o'er again.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1699 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ode for St. Cecilia's Day (1699), st. 4
“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.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1699 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ode on St. Cecilia's Day (1699), st. 6
“For wheresoe'er I turn my ravished eyes, Gay gilded scenes and shining prospects rise, Poetic fields encompass me around, And still I seem to tread on classic ground.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1701 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Letter from Italy, to the Right Honourable Charles, Lord Halifax (1701)
“Fain would I Raphael's godlike art rehearse, And show th' immortal labours in my verse, Where from themingled strength of shade and light A new creation rises to my sight, Such heavenly figures from his pencil flow, So warm with life his blended colours glow. From theme to theme with secret pleasure tost, Amidst the soft variety I 'm lost: Here pleasing airs my ravish'd soul confound With circling notes and labyrinths of sound; Here domes and temples rise in distant views, And opening palaces invite my Muse.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1703 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Letter from Italy (1703)
“When hosts of foes with foes engage, And round th' anointed hero rage, The cleaving fauchion I misguide, And turn the feather'd shaft aside.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1707 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Second Angel, in Rosamond (c. 1707), Act III, sc. i
“Where have my ravish'd senses been! What joys, what wonders, have I seen! The scene yet stands before my eye, A thousand glorious deeds that lie In deep futurity obscure, Fights and triumphs immature, Heroes immers'd in time's dark womb, Ripening for mighty years to come, Break forth, and, to the day display'd, My soft inglorious hours upbraid. Transported with so bright a scheme, My waking life appears a dream.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1707 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Henry in Rosamond (c. 1707), Act III, sc. i
“Every star, and every pow'r, Look down on this important hour: Lend your protection and defence Every guard of innocence! Help me my Henry to assuage, To gain his love or bear his rage. 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!”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1707 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Queen Elinor in Rosamond (c. 1707), Act III, sc. ii
“The man resolved, and steady to his trust, Inflexible to ill, and obstinately just, May the rude rabble's insolence despise, Their senseless clamours and tumultuous cries; The tyrant's fierceness he beguiles, And the stern brow, and the harsh voice defies, And with superior greatness smiles.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Should the whole frame of Nature round him break, In ruin and confusion hurled, He, unconcerned, would hear the mighty crack, And stand secure amidst a falling world.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I read the several dates of the tombs, of some that died yesterday, and some six hundred years ago, I consider that great day when we shall all of us be contemporaries, and make our appearance together.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1711 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Thoughts in Westminster Abbey (1711)
“When I read the epitaphs of the beautiful, every inordinate desire goes out; when I meet with the grief of parents upon a tombstone, my heart melts with compassion; when I see the tomb of the parents themselves, 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, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the little competitions, factions, and debates of mankind.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1711 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Thoughts in Westminster Abbey (1711)
“See in what peace a Christian can die!”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) first seen 1719 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Last words, to his stepson (1719), as quoted in Conjectures on Original Composition (1759) by Edward Young
“Nations with nations mix'd confus'dly die, And lost in one promiscuous carnage lie.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Unbounded courage and compassion join'd, Tempering each other in the victor's mind, Alternately proclaim him good and great, And make the hero and the man complete.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So when an angel by divine command With rising tempests shakes a guilty land, Such as of late o'er pale Britannia passed, Calm and serene he drives the furious blast; And, pleas'd th' Almighty's orders to perform, Rides in the whirlwind, and directs the storm.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“O Dormer, how can I behold thy fate, And not the wonders of thy youth relate; How can I see the gay, the brave, the young, Fall in the cloud of war, and lie unsung! In joys of conquest he resigns his breath, And, filled with England's glory, smiles in death.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Rais'd of themselves, their genuine charms they boast, And those who paint them truest praise them most.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Also quoted by: ジョゼフ・アディソン (ja)
“Is there not some chosen curse, Some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven, Red with uncommon wrath, to blast the man Who owes his greatness to his country's ruin?”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers, And heavily in clouds brings on the day, The great, the important day, Big with the fate Of Cato, and of Rome.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thy steady temper, Portius, Can look on guilt, rebellion, fraud, and Cæsar, In the calm lights of mild philosophy.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Love is not to be reason'd down, or lost In high ambition, and a thirst of greatness; 'Tis second life, it grows into the soul, Warms every vein, and beats in every pulse.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“'Tis not in mortals to command success, But we'll do more, Sempronius; we'll deserve it.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thy father's merit sets thee up to view, And shows thee in the fairest point of light, To make thy virtues, or thy faults, conspicuous.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Oh! think what anxious moments pass between The birth of plots, and their last fatal periods, Oh! 'tis a dreadful interval of time, Filled up with horror all, and big with death!”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Better to die ten thousand deaths, Than wound my honour.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If the following day he chance to find A new repast, or an untasted spring, Blesses his stars, and thinks it luxury.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“'Tis pride, rank pride, and haughtiness of soul: I think the Romans call it Stoicism.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Were you with these, my prince, you'd soon forget The pale, unripened beauties of the north.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Beauty soon grows familiar to the lover, Fades in his eye, and palls upon the sense.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My voice is still for war. Gods! Can a Roman senate long debate Which of the two to choose, slavery or death? No, let us rise at once, Gird on our swords, and, At the head of our remaining troops, attack the foe, Break through the thick array of his throng'd legions, And charge home upon him. Perhaps some arm, more lucky than the rest, May reach his heart, and free the world from bondage.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A day, an hour, of virtuous liberty Is worth a whole eternity in bondage.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, And Scipio's ghost walks unavenged amongst us!”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Young men soon give and soon forget affronts; Old age is slow in both.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The friendships of the world are oft Confederacies in vice, or leagues of pleasure; Ours has severest virtue for its basis, And such a friendship ends not but with life.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When love's well-timed 'tis not a fault of love; The strong, the brave, the virtuous, and the wise, Sink in the soft captivity together.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Loveliest of women! heaven is in thy soul, Beauty and virtue shine forever round thee, Bright'ning each other! thou art all divine!”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Talk not of love: thou never knew'st its force.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To my confusion, and eternal grief, I must approve the sentence that destroys me.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“See they suffer death, But in their deaths remember they are men, Strain not the laws to make their tortures grievous.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Why wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer Imaginary ills, and fancy'd tortures?”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When love once pleas admission to our hearts, (In spite of all the virtue we can boast), The woman that deliberates is lost.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Act IV, scene i. The last line has often been misreported as "He who hesitates is lost", a sentiment inspired by it but not penned by Addison. See Paul F. Boller, Jr., and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake…
“I will indulge my sorrows, and give way To all the pangs and fury of despair.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Curse on his virtues! they've undone his country.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“How beautiful is death, when earn'd by virtue! Who would not be that youth? What pity is it That we can die but once to serve our country!”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Content thyself to be obscurely good. When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway, The post of honor is a private station.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source