The Pyramids The Pyramids The greatest work of man; except the wall of China.-Rasselas, ch. xxxi. For the pyramids no reason has ever been given adequate to the cost and labour of the work. I consider this mighty structure as a monument of the insufficiency of human enjoyments.-Rasselas, ch. xxxi. Qualifications of a Wife The companion of an evening, and the companion for life, require very different qualifications.-Rambler, No. 97. Negative and A man will please more upon the whole by Positive Qualities negative qualities than by positive; by never offending, than by giving a great deal of delight.—September 15, 1777. a Wife Quarrelling with All quarrels ought to be avoided studiously, particularly conjugal ones, as no one can possibly tell where they may end.-Piozzi's Anecdotes, p. 145. Popping the Whenever I shall seek a wife, it shall be Question my first question, whether she be willing to be led by reason.-Rasselas, ch. xxix. Questioning not Questioning is not the mode of conversa Polite tion among gentlemen. It is assuming a superiority, and it is particularly wrong to question a man concerning himself. There may be parts of his former life which he may not wish to be made known to other persons, or even brought to his own recollection.— Life. March 25, 1776. Alas! how few books are there of which Don Quixote one ever can possibly arrive at the last page. Was there ever yet any thing written by mere man that was wished longer by its readers, excepting Don Quixote, Robinson Crusoe, and the Pilgrim's Progress ?-Piozzi's Anecdotes, p. 281. of Rank Subordination Your levellers wish to level down as far as themselves; but they cannot bear levelling up to themselves. They would all have some people under them; why not then have some people above them ?Life. July 21, 1763. By the consultation of books, whether of Reading dead or living authors, many temptations to petulance and opposition, which occur in oral conferences are avoided.-Rambler, No. 87. Reading A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good.-Life. Reading You can never be wise unless you love reading.Life. Letter to his Servant. Sep tember 25, 1770. Reading with No man will read with advantage, who is Advantage not able, at pleasure, to evacuate his mind, or who brings not to his author an intellect neither turbid with care nor agitated with pleasure.-Idler, No. 74. Reading and The foundation must be laid by reading. Conversation General principles must be had from books, which, however, must be brought to the test of real life. In conversation you never get a system. What is said upon a subject is to be gathered from a hundred people. The parts of a truth which a man gets thus, are at such a distance from each other that he never attains to a full view.-Life. April 16, 1775. Reading What is read with delight is commonly with Delight retained because pleasure always secures attention.-Idler, No. 74. with Reading If a man begins to read in the middle of a Inclination book, and feels an inclination to go on, let him not quit it to go to the beginning. He may perhaps not feel again the inclination.-Life. April 12, 1776. Rebellion Pardoning of Rebels Recklessness Rebellion is natural to man.-Journal, November II. All mankind applaud the pardoning of rebels. Journal. November 11. There is an irrational contempt of danger, which approaches nearly to the folly, if not the guilt of suicide.-Rambler, No. 129. The Recluse The solitary mortal is certainly luxurious, probably superstitious, and possibly mad.Piozzi's Anecdotes, p. 106. Reflection There are few higher gratifications than that of reflection on surmounted evils, when they were not incurred nor protracted by our fault. But this felicity is almost always abated by the reflection that they with whom we should be most pleased to share it are now in the grave.-Rambler, No. 203. A Mortifying It is a most mortifying reflection for any man to consider what he has done, compared with what he might have done.-Life. Maxwell's Collectanea, 1770. Refinement 1777. Dangers of Over 200. Refinement of Taste *Waste of Reformation Life will not bear refinement; you must do as other people do.-Life. September 19, He that too much refines his delicacy will always endanger his quiet.-Rambler, No. Endeavour to be as perfect as you can in every respect.-Life. June 30, 1784. The ruins of the cathedral of Elgin afforded us another proof of the waste of Reformation.-Journey to the Western Islands, p. 17. Our first Reformers Were not burnt for not believing bread and wine to be Christ, but for insulting those who did believe it.-Life. Regret Relations What cannot be repaired is not to be regretted. Rasselas, ch. iv. Every man who comes into the world has need of friends. If he has to get them for himself, half his life is spent before his merit is known. Relations are a man's ready friends, who support him. When a man is in real distress, he flies into the arms of his relations.-Journal. August 25. Relativity of A boy's being flogged is not so severe as a Sorrow man's having the hiss of the world against him. Men have a solicitude about fame; and the greater share they have of it, the more afraid they are of losing it.-Life. Dr. Maxwell's Collectanea, 1770. Religion of which the rewards are distant, Religion and which is animated only by faith and hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind, unless it be invigorated and re-impressed by external ordinances, by stated calls to worship, and the salutary influence of example.-Lives of the Poets. Milton, II., 142. Horace's Neglect of There is a great deal of thinking in his Religion works. One finds there almost everything but religion.-Life. April 28, 1783. Sick Religious when A man who has never had religion before, no more grows religious when he is sick, than a man who has never learned figures can count when he has need of calculation.-Life. April 28, 1783. |