July 14, 1763, p. 123
Life of Samuel Johnson (1791), Vol I
“The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.”
Worship
1860s, The Conduct of Life (1860)
Variant: The louder they talked of their honor, the faster we counted our spoons.
Source: The Conduct of Life: A Philosophical Reading
“Hannibal, as he had mighty virtues, so had he many vices; he had two distinct persons in him.”
The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), Democritus Junior to the Reader
Opening lines.
1770s, Common Sense (1776)
"Gerontion"
Poems (1920)
Context: After such knowledge, what forgiveness? Think now
History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors
And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions,
Guides us by vanities. Think now
She gives when our attention is distracted
And what she gives, gives with such supple confusions
That the giving famishes the craving. Gives too late
What's not believed in, or if still believed,
In memory only, reconsidered passion. Gives too soon
Into weak hands, what's thought can be dispensed with
Till the refusal propagates a fear. Think
Neither fear nor courage saves us. Unnatural vices
Are fathered by our heroism. Virtues
Are forced upon us by our impudent crimes.
These tears are shaken from the wrath-bearing tree.
“Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.”
Source: The Great Gatsby (1925), ch. 9
“Distrust was counted as a democratic virtue, and over-confidence as a democratic vice.”
No Compromise – No Political Trading (1899)
