Explore Quotes by Charles Caleb Colton

Religion has treated knowledge sometimes as an enemy, sometimes as a hostage; often as a captive and more often as a child; but knowledge has become of age, and religion must either renounce her acquaintance, or introduce her as a companion and respect her as a friend.

The seat of perfect contentment is in the head; for every individual is thoroughly satisfied with his own proportion of brains.

Knowledge is two-fold, and consists not only in an affirmation of what is true, but in the negation of that which is false.

Hope is a prodigal young heir, and experience is his banker.

With the offspring of genius, the law of parturition is reversed; the throes are in the conception, the pleasure in the birth.

Genius in one grand particular is like life. We know nothing of either but by their effects.

We must be careful how we flatter fools too little, or wise men too much, for the flatterer must act the very reverse of the physician, and administer the strongest dose only to the weakest patient.

Flattery is often a traffic of mutual meanness, where although both parties intend deception, neither are deceived.

Whenever we find ourselves more inclined to persecute than to persuade, we may then be certain that our zeal has more of pride in it than of charity.

It is far better to borrow experience than to buy it.

Total freedom from error is what none of us will allow to our neighbors; however we may be inclined to flirt a little with such spotless perfection ourselves.

Ignorance is a blank sheet, on which we may write; but error is a scribbled one, on which we must first erase.

Riches may enable us to confer favors, but to confer them with propriety and grace requires a something that riches cannot give.

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.

We are not more ingenious in searching out bad motives for good actions when performed by others, than good motives for bad actions when performed by ourselves.

Pedantry crams our heads with learned lumber and takes out our brains to make room for it.

If the prodigal quits life in debt to others, the miser quits it still deeper in debt to himself.

Custom looks to things that are past, and fashion to things that are present, but both of them are somewhat purblind as to things that are to come.

Criticism is like champagne, nothing more execrable if bad, nothing more excellent if good.

When certain persons abuse us, let us ask ourselves what description of characters it is that they admire; we shall often find this a very consolatory question.

When we feel a strong desire to thrust our advice upon others, it is usually because we suspect their weakness; but we ought rather to suspect our own.