Quote#Kindness
Mirth is like a flash of lightning, that breaks through a gloom of…
Quote byJoseph Addison · 1672–1719
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: The Spectator (1711–1714), No. 381 (17 May 1712).
English (original)
Mirth is like a flash of lightning, that breaks through a gloom of clouds, and glitters for a moment; cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity.
— Joseph Addison
More from Joseph Addison
Consecrate the place and day To music and Cecilia. Let no rough winds approach, nor dare Invade the hallow'd bounds, Nor rudely shake the tuneful air, Nor spoil the fleeting sounds.
On you, my lord, with anxious fear I wait, And from your judgment must expect my fate.
Music religious heat inspires, It wakes the soul, and lifts it high, And wings it with sublime desires, And fits it to bespeak the Deity.
Music, the greatest good that mortals know, And all of heaven we have below.
When time itself shall be no more, And all things in confusion hurl'd, Music shall then exert it's power, And sound survive the ruins of the world: Then saints and angels shall agree In one eternal jubilee:
Let echo, too, perform her part, Prolonging every note with art; And in a low expiring strain, Play all the concert o'er again.