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The world is grown so full of dissimulation and compliment, that men's words are hardly any signification of their thoughts.

Richard Steele

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Richard Steele
Age: 57 †
Born: 1672
Born: March 12
Died: 1729
Died: September 1
Journalist
Playwright
Politician
Writer
Dublin city
Sir Richard Steele
Full
Words
Signification
Men
Dissimulation
World
Flattery
Compliment
Hardly
Grown
Thoughts

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Though her mien carries much more invitation than command, to behold her is an immediate check to loose behaviour to love her was a liberal education.
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I know of no manner of speaking so offensive as that of giving praise, and closing it with an exception.
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Whenever you commend, add your reasons for doing so it is this which distinguishes the approbation of a man of sense from the flattery of sycophants and admiration of fools.
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Age in a virtuous person, of either sex, carries in it an authority which makes it preferable to all the pleasures of youth.
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Violins are the lively, forward, importunate wits, that distinguish themselves by the flourishes of imagination, sharpness of repartee, glances of satire, and bear away the upper part in every consort.
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Pride destroys all symmetry and grace, and affectation is a more terrible enemy to fine faces than the small-pox.
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Zeal for the public good is the characteristic of a man of honor and a gentleman, and must take the place of pleasures, profits and all other private gratifications.
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A fool is in himself the object of pity, until he is flattered.
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Modesty never rages, never murmurs, never pouts when it is ill-treated, it pines, it beseeches, it languishes.
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A Woman is naturally more helpless than the other Sex and a Man of Honour and Sense should have this in his View in all Manner of Commerce with her.
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Fire and swords are slow engines of destruction, compared to the tongue of a Gossip.
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It is to beoted that when any part of this paper appears dull there is a design in it.
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There can hardly, I believe, be imagined a more desirable pleasure than that of praise unmixed with any possibility of flattery.
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It is a wonderful thing that so many, and they not reckoned absurd, shall entertain those with whom they converse by giving them the history of their pains and aches and imagine such narrations their quota of conversation.
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Since our persons are not of our own making, when they are such as appear defective or uncomely, it is, methinks, an honest and laudable fortitude to dare to be ugly.
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Though very troublesome to others, anger is most so to him that has it.
Richard Steele
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The man is mechanically turned, and made for getting. . . . It was verily prettily said that we may learn the little value of fortune by the persons on whom Heaven is pleased to bestow it.
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When a man is not disposed to hear music, there is not a more disagreeable sound in harmony than that of the violin.
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The praise of an ignorant man is only good-will, and you should receive his kindness as he is a good neighbor in society, and not as a good judge of your actions in point of fame and reputation.
Richard Steele
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Vanity makes people ridiculous, pride odious, and ambition terrible.
Richard Steele