“Tradition is an important help to history, but its statements should be carefully scrutinized before we rely on them.”

—  Joseph Addison

Attributed to "Addison" in A Dictionary of Thoughts : Being a Cyclopedia of Laconic Quotations from the Best Authors of the World, both Ancient and Modern (1908) edited by Tryon Edwards, p. 580, but this might be the later "Mr. Addison" who was credited with publishing Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments (1794).
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Joseph Addison photo
Joseph Addison226
politician, writer and playwright 1672–1719

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