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 AddisonRead
It must be so,-Plato, thou reasonest well! Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, This longing after immortality? Or whence this secret dread and inward horror Of falling into naught? Why shrinks the soul Back on herself, and startles at destruction? 'T is the divinity that stirs within us; 'T is Heaven itself that points out an hereafter, And intimates eternity to man. Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on humanity's intrinsic desire for immortality and the fear of non-existence.
Joseph Addison's quote delves into the duality of human emotion regarding life and death. He suggests that the yearning for immortality and the fear of oblivion are intertwined, indicating that the 'divinity' or spiritual essence within us compels a longing for something greater than ourselves. This contemplation of eternity evokes both pleasure and dread, illustrating the profound impact of our consciousness and the innate desire to connect with the infinite.
Themes
ImmortalityEternityDesireFearSoul
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about life choices, you could use this quote to inspire thoughts on legacy.
More from Joseph Addison
All quotes →Good nature is more agreeable in conversation than wit and gives a certain air to the countenance which is more amiable than beauty.
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Ridicule is generally made use of to laugh men out of virtue and good sense, by attacking everything praiseworthy in human life.
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Admiration is a very short lived passion that immediately decays upon growing familiar with its object, unless it still be fed with fresh discoveries, and kept alive by a new perpetual succession of miracles rising up to its view.
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It is impossible for us, who live in the latter ages of the world, to make observations in criticism, morality, or in any art or science, which have not been touched upon by others. We have little else left us but to represent the common sense of mankind in more strong, more beautiful, or more uncommon lights.
Joseph AddisonRead
An ostentatious man will rather relate a blunder or an absurdity he has committed, than be debarred from talking of his own dear person.
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