James Beattie (1735–1803) Scottish poet, moralist and philosopher
Book i. Stanza 55.
The Minstrel; or, The Progress of Genius (1771)
Source: Illness as Metaphor
James Beattie (1735–1803) Scottish poet, moralist and philosopher
Book i. Stanza 55.
The Minstrel; or, The Progress of Genius (1771)
Samuel Rogers (1763–1855) British poet
To ———, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).
Oliver Goldsmith book The Vicar of Wakefield
Source: The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), Ch. 29, Song, st. 1.
Leo Strauss (1899–1973) Classical philosophy specialist and father of neoconservativism
Source: What is Political Philosophy (1959), p. 40
Context: Men are constantly attracted and deluded by two opposite charms: the charm of competence which is engendered by mathematics and everything akin to mathematics, and the charm of humble awe, which is engendered by meditation on the human soul and its experiences. Philosophy is characterized by the gentle, if firm, refusal to succumb to either charm. It is the highest form of the mating of courage and moderation. In spite of its highness or nobility, it could appear as Sisyphean or ugly, when one contrasts its achievement with its goal. Yet it is necessarily accompanied, sustained and elevated by eros. It is graced by nature's grace.
“But youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms.”
Oscar Wilde book The Picture of Dorian Gray
Source: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Giacomo Casanova (1725–1798) Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice
Source: The Story of My Life