Charles Caleb Colton Quotes - Page 24

• The praise of the envious is far less creditable than their censure; they praise only that which they can surpass, but that which surpasses them they censure.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Envy, Praise, Envious

  Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.246

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• Error, when she retraces her steps, has farther to go before she can arrive at truth than ignorance.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Ignorance, Errors, Steps

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• The greatest miracle that the Almighty could perform would be to make a bad man happy, even in heaven; he must unparadise that blessed place to accomplish it. In its primary signification, all vice--that is, all excess--brings its own punishment even here.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Blessed, Men, Miracle

  Charles Caleb Colton (1836). “Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.163

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• Too high an appreciation of our own talents is the chief cause why experience preaches to us all in vain.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Appreciation, Experience, Causes

  Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”

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• That extremes beget extremes is an apothegm built on the most profound observation of the human mind.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Profound, Mind, Observation

  Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.184

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• Faith and works are necessary to our spiritual life as Christians, as soul and body are to our natural life as men; for faith is the soul of religion, and works the body.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Faith, Christian, Spiritual

  Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.188

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• It is sufficiently humiliating to our nature to reflect that our knowledge is but as she rivulet, our ignorance as the sea. On points of the highest interest, the moment we quit the light of revelation we shall find that Platonism itself is intimately connected with Pyrrhonism, and the deepest inquiry with the darkest doubt.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Faith, Ignorance, Light

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• Falsehood, like a drawing in perspective, will not bear to be examined in every point of view, because it is a good imitation of truth, as a perspective is of the reality, only in one. But truth, like that reality of which the perspective is the representation, will bear to be scrutinized in all points of view, and though examined under every situation, is one and the same.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Reality, Views, Drawing

  Charles Caleb Colton (1836). “Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.140

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• As there are some faults that have been termed faults on the right side, so there are some errors that might be denominated errors on the safe side. Thus we seldom regret having been too mild, too cautious, or too humble; but we often repent having been too violent, too precipitate, or too proud.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Regret, Humble, Errors

  Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.193

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• There is this paradox in fear: he is most likely to inspire it in others who has none himself!

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Fear, Inspire, Paradox

  Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.147

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• That profound firmness which enabler a man to regard difficulties but as evils to be surmounted, no matter what shape they may assume.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Men, Evil, Profound

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• It has been well observed that we should treat futurity as an aged friend from whom we expect a rich legacy.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Legacy, Rich, Should

  Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.52

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• Gaming has been resorted to by the affluent as a refuge from ennui. It is a mental dram, and may succeed for a moment; but, like all other stimuli, it produces indirect debility.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Gambling, May, Succeed

  Charles Caleb Colton (1836). “Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.147

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• Gaming is the child of avarice, but the parent of prodigality.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Children, Gambling, Parent

  Charles Caleb COLTON (1849). “L.P.”, p.188

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• There are two things which ought to teach us to think but meanly of human glory; the very best have had their calumniators, the very worst their panegyrists.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Thinking, Two, Glory

  Charles Caleb Colton (1824). “Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think”, p.218

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• Those who worship gold in a world so corrupt as this we live in have at least one thing to plead in defense of their idolatry--the power of their idol. It is true that, like other idols, it can neither move, see, hear, feel, nor understand; but, unlike other idols, it has often communicated all these powers to those who had them not, and annihilated them in those who had. This idol can boast of two peculiarities; it is worshipped in all climates, without a single temple, and by all classes, without a single hypocrite.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Moving, Hypocrite, Idols

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• We cannot think too highly of our nature, nor too humbly of ourselves. When we see the martyr to virtue, subject as he is to the infirmities of a man, yet suffering the tortures of a demon, and bearing them with the magnanimity of a God, do we not behold a heroism that angels may indeed surpass, but which they cannot imitate, and must admire.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Humility, Angel, Men

  Charles Caleb Colton (1832). “Lacon: Or Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.212

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• Ignorance lies at the bottom of all human knowledge, and the deeper we penetrate the nearer we arrive unto it. For what do we truly know, or what can we clearly affirm, of any one of those important things upon which all our reasonings must of necessity be built--time and space, life and death, matter and mind?

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Lying, Ignorance, Space

  Charles Caleb Colton (1832). “Lacon: Or Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”

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• There are many women who have never intrigued, and many men who have never gamed; but those who have done either but once are very extraordinary animals.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Animal, Men, Done

  Charles Caleb Colton (1836). “Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.355

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• Jealousy is sustained as often by pride as by affection.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Jealousy, Pride, Affection

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• Love may exist without jealousy, although this is rare: but jealousy may exist without love, and this is common; for jealousy can feed on that which is bitter no less than on that which is sweet, and is sustained by pride as often as by affection.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Jealousy, Sweet, Pride

  Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”, p.60

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• Light, whether it be material or moral, is the best reformer.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Light, Moral, Materials

  Charles Caleb Colton (1836). “Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”, p.421

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• Literature has her quacks no less than medicine, and they are divided into two classes; those who have erudition without genius, and those who have volubility without depth; we shall get second-hand sense from the one, and original nonsense from the other.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Hands, Class, Two

  Charles Caleb Colton (1821). “Lacon: or, Many things in few words”, p.232

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• Logic and metaphysics make use of more tools than all the rest of the sciences put together, and do the least work.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Together, Tools, Use

  Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”, p.231

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• There are circumstances of peculiar difficulty and danger, where a mediocrity of talent is the most fatal quantum that a man can possibly possess. Had Charles the First and Louis the Sixteenth been more wise or more weak, more firm or more yielding, in either case they had both of them saved their heads.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Wise, Men, Peculiar

  Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”, p.96

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