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
Nothing that isn't a real crime makes a man appear so contemptible and little in the eyes of the world as inconsistency.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Inconsistency can damage a person's reputation more than actual crimes.
This quote by Joseph Addison suggests that being inconsistent in one's beliefs or actions is viewed as a significant flaw by society. It emphasizes that even minor discrepancies in behavior or thought can lead to a loss of respect and credibility, more so than real immoral acts, highlighting the importance of integrity and coherence in one's character.
Themes
InconsistencyReputationIntegrityCharacterSociety
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be referenced in a debate about personal integrity.
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.
Joseph AddisonRead
Ridicule is generally made use of to laugh men out of virtue and good sense, by attacking everything praiseworthy in human life.
Joseph AddisonRead
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.
Joseph AddisonRead
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.
Joseph AddisonRead
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