Quotes from Daniel Defoe

yet nothing but divine revelation can form the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and of redemption purchased for us; of a Mediator of the new covenant, and of an Intercessor at the footstool of God's throne; I say, nothing but a revelation from Heaven can form these in the soul;

she thought herself very ill used, yet she had no power to resent it

All possible care, however, has been taken to give no lewd ideas, no immodest turns in the new dressing up of this story; no, not to the worst parts of her expressions. To this purpose some of the vicious part of her life, which could not be modestly told, is quite left out, and several other parts are very much shortened.

I had great Reason to consider it as a Determination of Heaven, that in this desolate Place, and in this desolate Manner I should end my life; the Tears would run plentifully down my Face when I made these Reflections, and sometimes I would expostulate with myself, Why Providence should thus compleately ruine its Creatures, and render them so absolutely miserable, so without Help abandon'd, so entirely depress'd, that it could be hardly rational to be thankful for such a Life.

Neredeyse iÅŸitilir biçimde, Nas?l bu kadar ikiyüzlü olabiliyorsun? dedim, Her ne kadar yetinmeye çal??san da kurtulmak için can? gönülden dua ettiÄŸin bu duruma ÅŸükran duyarm?? gibi yap?yorsun?

Nitekim z?dd?yla gözümüze sokulmadan içinde bulunduÄŸumuz gerçek durumu asla göremiyor, hep fazlas?n? istemekten sahip olduÄŸumuzun deÄŸerini bilmeyi beceremiyoruz.

descended from

they are not ashamed to sin, and yet are ashamed to repent;

I never had so much as one thought of it being the hand of God, or that it was a just punishment for my sin—my rebellious behaviour against my father—or my present sins, which were great—or so much as a punishment for the general course of my wicked life.

I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed rather than what I wanted; and this gave me sometimes such secret comforts, that I cannot express them;

So hypochondriac fancies represent Ships, armies, battles in the firmament; Till steady eyes the exhalations solve, And all to its first matter, cloud, resolve.

I made no more resistance to him, but let him do just what he pleased, and as often as he pleased; and thus I finished my own destruction at once, for from this day, being forsaken of my virtue and my modesty, I had nothing of value left to recommend me, either to God's blessing or man's assistance.

How strange a Chequer Work* of Providence is the Life of Man! and by what secret differing Springs are the Affections hurry'd about as differing Circumstances present! To Day we love what to Morrow we hate; to Day we seek what to Morrow we shun; to Day we desire what to Morrow we fear; nay even tremble at the Apprehensions of; this

I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed rather than what I wanted; and this gave me sometimes such secret comforts, that I cannot express them; and which I take notice of here, to put those discontented people in mind of it, who cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given them, because they see and covet something that He has not given them.

Thus Fear of Danger is ten thousand Times more terrifying than Danger it self, when apparent to the Eyes; and we find the Burthen of Anxiety greater by much, than the Evil which we are anxious about; and

La proprietà di cui si abusa è spesso fonte di disgrazia.

Let no man despise the secret hints and notices of danger which sometimes are given him when he may think there is no possibility of its being real. 

Lo que constituye la salvación de un hombre, es la ruina de otro

Cuántas veces, en el curso de nuestras vidas, ocurre que el mal que procuramos evitar, y que nos parece terrible cuando nos enfrentamos a él, resulta el verdadero camino de nuestra salvación, el único a través del cual podemos librarnos de nuestras desgracias.

It is very rare that the providence of God casts us into any condition of life so low, or any misery so great, but we may see something or other to be thankful for; and may see others in worse circumstances than our own.

dar oamenii nu se cunosc pe ei înÈ™iÈ™i pân? ce nu-s puÈ™i la încercare, iar curajul se dobândeÈ™te cu timpul È™i prin experien??.

secrets should never be opened without evident utility. It could be of no manner of use to me or her to communicate

for that gratitude was no inherent virtue in the nature of man, nor did men always square their dealings by the obligations they had received so much as they did by the advantages they expected.

should always find that the calamities of life were shared among the upper and lower part of mankind, but that the middle station had the fewest disasters, and was not exposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher or lower part of mankind;