The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring.

The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring.

here is an innocence in admiration; it is found in those to whom it has never yet occurred that they, read more

here is an innocence in admiration; it is found in those to whom it has never yet occurred that they, too, might be admired some day.

"Not to admire, is all the art I know
(Plain truth, dear Murray, needs few flowers of speech)
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"Not to admire, is all the art I know
(Plain truth, dear Murray, needs few flowers of speech)
To make men happy, or to keep them so."
(So take it in the very words of Creech)
Thus Horace wrote we all know long ago;
And thus Pope quotes the precept to re-teach
From his translation; but had none admired,
Would Pope have sung, or Horace been inspired?

Animals do not admire each other. A horse does not admire its companion.

Animals do not admire each other. A horse does not admire its companion.

Men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty billows of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, read more

Men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty billows of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars, and pass themselves by.

Fools admire, but men of sense approve.

Fools admire, but men of sense approve.

Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt.

Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt.

You always admire what you really don't understand.

You always admire what you really don't understand.

The best emotions to write out of are anger and fear or dread. . . . The least energizing emotion read more

The best emotions to write out of are anger and fear or dread. . . . The least energizing emotion to write out of is admiration . . . because the basic feeling that goes with admiration is a passive contemplative mood.