when men are employ'd they are best content'd; for on the days they worked they were good natur'd and cheerful, and with the consciousness of having done a good day's work, they spent the evening jollily; but on our idle days they were mutinous and quarrelsome, finding fault with their pork, the bread, etc., and in continual ill-humor
Don't Argue For its Own Sakein the course of my observation, these disputing, contradicting, and confuting people are generally unfortunate in their affairs. They get victory sometimes, but they never get good will, which would be of more use to them.
Be Generous to HumanityThat, as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.
every accent, every emphasis, every modulation of voice, was so perfectly well turn'd and well plac'd...This is an advantage itinerant preachers have over those who are stationary...the latter cannot improve their delivery of a sermon by so many rehearsals.
the truth of an old maxim I had learned which says, "He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged."
I have always thought that one man of tolerable abilities may work great changes, and accomplish great affairs among mankind, if he first forms a good plan, and, cutting off all amusements or other employments that would divert his attention, makes the execution of that same plan his sole study and business.
Moral Perfection Takes PracticeIt was about this time that I conceiv'd the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection. I wish'd to live without committing any fault at any time.
tho' I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it
I should have called my book The Art of Virtue because it would have shown the means and manner of obtaining virtue, which would have distinguished it it from the mere exhortation to be good, that does not instruct and indicate the means
The objections and reluctance I met with in soliciting the subscriptions, made me soon feel the impropriety of presenting one's self as the proposer of any useful project, that might be supposed to raise one's reputation in the smallest degree above that of one's neighbors, when one has need of their assistance to accomplish that project. I therefore put myself as much as I could out of sight, and stated it as a scheme of a number of friends, who had requested me to go about and propose it to such as they thought lovers of reading. In this way my affair went on more smoothly, and I ever practis'd it on such occasions; and, from my frequent successes, can heartily recommend it. The present little sacrifice of your vanity will afterwards be amply repaid.
I had form'd most of my ingenious acquaintance into a club of mutual improvement, which we called the JUNTO; we met on Friday evenings. The rules that I drew up required that every member, in his turn, should produce one or more queries on any point of Morals, Politics, or Natural Philosophy, to be discuss'd by the company; and once in three months produce and read an essay of his own writing, on any subject he pleased. Our debates were to be under the direction of a president, and to be conducted in the sincere spirit of inquiry after truth, without fondness for dispute, or desire of victory; and, to prevent warmth, all expressions of positiveness in opinions, or direct contradiction, were after some time made contraband, and prohibited under small pecuniary penalties...upward of forty years; and the club continued almost as long, and was the best school of philosophy, morality, and politics that then existed in the province.
Character is More Important Than Pedigree...how little necessary all origin is to happiness, virtue, or greatness. And no end happens likewise without a means...the means are as simple as wisdom could make them; that is, depending upon nature, virtue, habit, and thought... Our sensations being very much fixed to the moment, we are apt to forget that more moments are to follow the first, and consequently a man should arrange his conduct so as to suit the whole of a life.
I grew convinc'd that truth, sincerity and integrity in dealings between man and man were of the utmost importance to the felicity of life; and I form'd written resolutions, which still remain in my journal book, to practice them ever while I lived.
Humans Are Rationalizing CreaturesSo convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for anything one has a mind to do.
