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
An ostentatious man will rather relate a blunder or an absurdity he has committed, than be debarred from talking of his own dear person.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights how some individuals prioritize self-promotion over acknowledging their mistakes.
Joseph Addison's quote suggests that individuals driven by ostentation and vanity often prefer to share personal blunders or absurdities if it allows them to keep the focus on themselves. This reflects a broader commentary on human nature, where the desire for attention and self-importance can outweigh the value of humility and self-reflection. Such behavior reveals a superficial tendency to prioritize one's image and narrative over the acknowledgment of one's flaws.
Themes
OstentationSelf-PromotionVanityBlunderAttention
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about human nature, one might use this quote to illustrate how vanity can lead people to expose their flaws.
More from Joseph Addison
All quotes βGood 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
There is no greater sign of a general decay of virtue in a nation, than a want of zeal in its inhabitants for the good of their country.
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