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This made me reflect, how vain an attempt it is for a man to endeavor to do himself honor among those who are out of all degree of equality or comparison with him.

Jonathan Swift

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Jonathan Swift
Age: 77 †
Born: 1667
Born: November 30
Died: 1745
Died: October 19
Essayist
Human Rights Activist
Novelist
Opinion Journalist
Pamphleteer
Philosopher
Poet
Priest
Prosaist
Public Figure
Dublin city
Isaac Bickerstaff
M. B. Drapier
Lemuel Gulliver
Simon Wagstaff
Among
Comparison
Made
Endeavor
Men
Attempt
Equality
Vain
Degree
Degrees
Honor
Reflect

More quotes by Jonathan Swift

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The latter part of a wise person's life is occupied with curing the follies, prejudices and false opinions they contracted earlier.
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Pride, ill nature, and want of sense, are the three great sources of ill manners.
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All Pretences of foretelling by Astrology, are Deceits for this manifest Reason, because the Wise and Learned, who can only judge whether there be any Truth in this Science, do all unanimously agree to laugh at and despise it and none but the poor ignorant Vulgar give it any Credit.
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If Heaven had looked upon riches to be a valuable thing, it would not have given them to such a scoundrel.
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There are few wild beasts more to be dreaded than a talking man having nothing to say.
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Books, like men their authors, have no more than one wayofcoming intothe world, but there areten thousand to go out of it, and return no more.
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Vision is seeing the invisible.
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It is the first rule in oratory that a man must appear such as he would persuade others to be: and that can be accomplished only by the force of his life.
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For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.
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I cannot imagine why we should be at the expense to furnish wit for succeeding ages, when the former have made no sort of provision for ours.
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No preacher is listened to but time, which gives us the same train and turn of thought that elder people have in vain tried to put into our heads before.
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Modesty may make a fool seem a man of sense.
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Real vision is the ability to see the invisible.
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Old men and comets have been reverenced for the same reason: their long beards, and pretences to foretell events.
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The first springs of great events, like those of great rivers, are often mean and little.
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Triumphant Tories, and desponding Whigs, Forget their feuds, and join to save their wigs.
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Hereditary right should be kept sacred, not from any inalienable right in a particular family, but to avoid the consequences that usually attend the ambition of competitors.
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The example alone of a vicious prince will corrupt an age but that of a good one will not reform it.
Jonathan Swift
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The best Maxim I know in this life is, to drink your Coffee when you can, and when you cannot, to be easy without it. While you continue to be splenetic, count upon it I will always preach. Thus much I sympathize with you that I am not cheerful enough to write, for I believe Coffee once a week is necessary to that.
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They say fish should swim thrice * * * first it should swim in the sea (do you mind me?) then it should swim in butter, and at last, sirrah, it should swim in good claret.
Jonathan Swift