JOSEPH ADDISON 1672-1719
I’m paging through my dad’s old Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, second edition 1959.
I’m starting with Joseph Addison, whose quotes remain relevant nearly 400 years later.
“A perfect tragedy is the noblest creation of human nature.” The Spectator No. 39
“If we may believe our logicians, man is distinguished from all other creatures by our faculty of laughter.” The Spectator 494
and referring to Cowley, English Poet:
“He would have pleased us more, had he pleased us less,” which appeared in his first major publication, English Poets (1694).
It was a quote I was prompted to find by something, that popped up on FB today, Jack Kerouac is to have said, probably before 1959;
Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.
but more interesting to me are two of his quotes in the You Tube clip I’ve linked.
“What defines the beat generation?” (Allen)
“Sympathy.” (Kerouac)
“Where do you get the rolls of teletype paper you use?” (Allen)
“In better stationery stores.”