Quotes by Sir William Temple

Sir William Temple

Sir William Temple

British Diplomat, Essayist

Lived from: 1628 - 1699

Category: Politics | Writers (Contemporary) Country: FlagUnited Kingdom

  • The only way for a rich man to be healthy is by exercise and abstinence, to live as if he were poor.
  • There cannot live a more unhappy creature than an ill-natured old man, who is neither capable of receiving pleasures, nor sensible of conferring them on others.
  • The best rules to form a young man, are, to talk little, to hear much, to reflect alone upon what has passed in company, to distrust one's own opinions, and value others that deserve it.

Quotes 1 till 13 of 13.

  • Books, like proverbs, receive their chief value from the stamp and esteem of the ages through which they have passed
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • Man alone is born crying, lives complaining, and dies disappointed.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • No one ever was a great poet, that applied himself much to anything else.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • Our present time is indeed a criticizing and critical time, hovering between the wish, and the inability to believe. Our complaints are like arrows shot up into the air at no target: and with no purpose they only fall back upon our own heads and destroy ourselves.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • The abilities of man must fall short on one side or the other, like too scanty a blanket when you are abed. If you pull it upon your shoulders, your feet are left bare; if you thrust it down to your feet, your shoulders are uncovered.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • The best rules to form a young man, are, to talk little, to hear much, to reflect alone upon what has passed in company, to distrust one's own opinions, and value others that deserve it.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • The first glass is for myself, the second for my friends, the third for good humor, and the forth for my enemies.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • The first ingredient in conversation is truth, the next good sense, the third good humor, and the fourth wit.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • The only way for a rich man to be healthy is by exercise and abstinence, to live as if he were poor.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • There cannot live a more unhappy creature than an ill-natured old man, who is neither capable of receiving pleasures, nor sensible of conferring them on others.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • When all is done, human life is, at the greatest and the best, but like a froward child, that must be played with and humored a little to keep it quiet till it falls asleep, and then the care is over.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't, they don't.
    ― Sir William Temple
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  • Who ever converses among old books will be hard to please among the new.
    ― Sir William Temple
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Questions and Answers

What are the most famous quotes from Sir William Temple?

The two most famous quotes from Sir William Temple are:

  • "Books, like proverbs, receive their chief value from the stamp and esteem of the ages through which they have passed"
  • "Man alone is born crying, lives complaining, and dies disappointed."

When did Sir William Temple live?

Sir William Temple was born in 1628 and died in the year 1699.