Brave Men and Women: Their Struggles, Failures, And TriumphsFuller, Osgood E. (Osgood Eaton)
History
Brave Men and Women: Their Struggles, Failures, And Triumphs
Fuller, Osgood E. (Osgood Eaton)
Biography
BURN A CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS, AND IT WILL SOON BE GONE.
Well may he scratch his head who burns his candle at both ends; but do
what he may, his light will soon be gone and he will be all in the dark.
Young Jack Careless squandered his property, and now he is without a
shoe to his foot. His was a case of "easy come, easy go; soon gotten,
soon spent." He that earns an estate will keep it better than he that
inherits it. As the Scotchman says, "He that gets gear before he gets
wit is but a short time master of it," and so it was with Jack. His
money burned holes in his pocket. He could not get rid of it fast enough
himself, and so he got a pretty set to help him, which they did by
helping themselves. His fortune went like a pound of meat in a kennel of
hounds. He was every body's friend, and now he is every body's fool.
HUNCHBACK SEES NOT HIS OWN HUMP, BUT HE SEES HIS NEIGHBOR'S.
He points at the man in front of him, but he is a good deal more of a
guy himself. He should not laugh at the crooked until he is straight
himself, and not then. I hate to hear a raven croak at a crow for being
black. A blind man should not blame his brother for squinting, and he
who has lost his legs should not sneer at the lame. Yet so it is, the
rottenest bough cracks first, and he who should be the last to speak is
the first to rail. Bespattered hogs bespatter others, and he who is full
of fault finds fault. They are most apt to speak ill of others who do
most ill themselves.
We may chide a friend, and so prove our friendship, but it must be done
very daintily, or we may lose our friend for our pains. Before we rebuke
another we must consider, and take heed that we are not guilty of the
same thing, for he who cleanses a blot with inky fingers makes it worse.
To despise others is a worse fault than any we are likely to see in
them, and to make merry over their weaknesses shows our own weakness and
our own malice too. Wit should be a shield for defense, and not a sword
for offense. A mocking word cuts worse than a scythe, and the wound is
harder to heal. A blow is much sooner forgotten than a jeer. Mocking is
shocking.
A LOOKING-GLASS IS OF NO USE TO A BLIND MAN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account