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Isaac Watts Quotes

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Isaac Watts was an English writer, primarily known for his hymns and educational works. Born on July 17, 1674, he is credited with shaping the hymnody of the English-speaking world. Watts' writings emphasized moral and spiritual themes, and he is remembered for his influential educational philosophy that emphasized the importance of early childhood education.

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Famous Isaac Watts Quotes

“A dogmatical spirit inclines a man to be censorious of his neighbors. Every one of his opinions appears to him written, as it were, with sunbeams, and he grows angry that his neighbors do not see it in the same light. He is tempted to disdain his correspondents as men of low and dark understandings because they do not believe what he does.”

Men Believe Doe Light Spirit Grows Understanding Dark Opinion Written Lows Angry Neighbor Tempted Disdain Incline Dogmatism Sunbeams

Book:The Improvement of the Mind

Source: The Improvement of the Mind

“Some persons believe everything that their kindred, their parents, and their tutors believe. The veneration and the love which they have for their ancestors incline them to swallow down all their opinions at once, without examining what truth or falsehood there is in them. Men take their principles by inheritance, and defend them as they would their estates, because they are born heirs to them.”

Men Believe Persons Parent Born Opinion Principles Prejudice Ancestor Falsehood Estates Inheritance Heirs Examining Kindred Incline Veneration Tutor

Book:Logic, Or The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth: With a Variety of Rules to Guard Against Error in the Affairs of Religion and Human Life, as Well as in the Sciences

Source: Logic, Or The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth: With a Variety of Rules to Guard Against Error in the Affairs of Religion and Human Life, as Well as in the Sciences

“The eyes of a man in the jaundice make yellow observations on everything; and the soul tinctured with any passion diffuses a false color over the appearance of things.”

Men Soul Eye Passion Color Prejudice Appearance Observation Yellow Jaundice

Author:Isaac Watts

“As a man may be eating all day, and for want of digestion is never nourished, so these endless readers may cram themselves in vain with intellectual food.”

Men Want May Reading Reader Eating Intellectual Endless Vain Digestion

Book:The Improvement of the Mind

Source: The Improvement of the Mind

“In common discourse we denominate persons and things according to the major part of their character; he is to be called a wise man who has but few follies.”

Men Persons Character Common Wise Majors Folly Discourse

Book:Logic: Or, The Right Use of Reason, in the Inquiry After Truth

Source: Logic: Or, The Right Use of Reason, in the Inquiry After Truth

“In matters of equity between man and man, our Saviour has taught us to put my neighbor in place of myself, and myself in place of my neighbor.”

Men Matter Justice Taught Neighbor Equity Saviour Taught Us

Author:Isaac Watts

“Vice and virtue chiefly imply the relation of our actions to men in this world; sin and holiness rather imply their relation to God and the other world.”

Men World Action Sin Virtue This World Relation Vices Holiness Our Actions Other Worlds Vice And Virtue

Book:The works of the Rev. Isaac Watts D.D. in nine volumes

Source: The works of the Rev. Isaac Watts D.D. in nine volumes

“Among all the accomplishments of youth there is none preferable to a decent and agreeable behavior among men, a modest freedom of speech, a soft and elegant manner of address, a graceful and lovely deportment, a cheerful gravity and good-humor, with a mind appearing ever serene under the ruffling accidents of human life.”

Men Mind Humans Youth Speech Behavior Accidents Lovely Human Life Accomplishment Decent Addresses Gravity Freedom Of Speech Modest Cheerful Elegant Serene Appearing Good Humor

Author:Isaac Watts

“If I could reach from pole to pole or grasp the ocean with a span, I would be measured by the soul The mind's the standard of the Man.”

Ifs Men Mind Soul Would Be Form Failing Ocean Standards Blame Odd If I Could Elephant Man

Author:Isaac Watts

“Two sentiments alone suffice for man, were he to live the age of the rocks - love, and the contemplation of the Deity.”

Men Two Age Rocks Worship Contemplation Sentiments Deities

Author:Isaac Watts

“Though reading and conversation may furnish us with many ideas of men and things, yet it is our own meditation must form our judgment.”

Men May Ideas Form Reading Meditation Conversation Judgment

Book:The works of the Rev. Isaac Watts D.D. in nine volumes

Source: The works of the Rev. Isaac Watts D.D. in nine volumes

“The very substance which last week was grazing in the field, waving in the milk pail, or growing in the garden, is now become part of the man.”

Men Lasts Growing Week Fields He Man Garden Substance Milk Grazing

Book:The Improvement of the Mind; Or, A Supplement to The Art of Logic. In Two Parts ... Also ... Posthumous Works, Published from His Manuscript, by D. Jennings ... and P. Doddridge

Source: The Improvement of the Mind; Or, A Supplement to The Art of Logic. In Two Parts ... Also ... Posthumous Works, Published from His Manuscript, by D. Jennings ... and P. Doddridge