Man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter.

—Joseph Addison

About Joseph Addison

Portrait of Joseph Addison

Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was a British writer and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine. His simple prose style marked the end...

More quotations from Joseph Addison

Mach-S, the speed at which stress can't keep up, is simply forward motion. But it has to be self- propelled. Note that people in cars are still stressed.

—Joseph Addison

An ostentatious man will rather relate a blunder or an absurdity he has committed, than be debarred from talking of his own dear person.

—Joseph Addison

I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.

—Joseph Addison

fruit birds garden cherries

If men would consider not so much wherein they differ, as wherein they agree, there would be far less of uncharitableness and angry feeling.

—Joseph Addison

What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul.

—Joseph Addison

education soul art sculpture

More quotations tagged with “laughter”

In this life he laughs longest who laughs last.

—John Masefield

If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.

—Jimmy Buffett

You cannot be mad at somebody who makes you laugh—it's as simple as that.

Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can.

—Elsa Maxwell

If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you're old.

—Edgar Watson Howe

History

11 Jul 2015 Added