Abstinence Quotes 

If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals.
Leo Tolstoy
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More Abstinence Quotes 

Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.


— Augustine of Hippo
— Variant: To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.

Tags: Complete, easier, perfect, moderation

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I have AIDS. I am surprised that I do. I have not been exposed since1977, which is to say that my experience, myadventures in homosexuality took place largely in the1960s and '70s, and back then I relied on time and abstinence to indicate my degree of freedom from infectionand to protect others and myself.

Harold Brodkey

— 1996  This Wild Darkness: The Story of My Death.

Tags: AIDS, surprised, been, exposed, experience, homosexuality, place, largely, '70s

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Refined himself to soul, to curb the sense And made almost a sin of abstinence.

john dryden

— 1700  'The Character of a Good Parson', l.10-11.

Tags: himself, soul, curb, sense, sin

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We ourselves esteem not of that obedience, or love, or gift, which is of force: God therefore let him free, set before him a provoking object, ever almost in his eyes; herein consisted his merit, herein the right of his reward, the praise of his abstinence.

john milton

— 1644  Areopagitica: a speech for the liberty of unlicensed printing.

Tags: We, ourselves, esteem, obedience, love, gift, force, God, him

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I'm against abstinence programs because I really consider "abstinence only" child abuse.

joycelyn elders

— Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, "Abstinence" [4.10], 5 June 2006

Tags: against, programs, consider, child, abuse

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Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of abstinence will break more easily than condoms.

joycelyn elders

— Jessica Valenti (2014-05-23). "Dr. Joycelyn Elders is so fucking cool". Feministing.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.

Tags: Condoms, break, can, assure, you, vows, more, easily

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My experience through life has convinced me that, while moderation and temperance in all things are commendable and beneficial, abstinence from spiritous liquors is the best safeguard of morals and health.

robert e. lee

— Letter to a "Friends of Temperance" society (9 December 1869); as quoted in Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee (1875) by John William Jones, p. 170

Tags: experience, life, convinced, me, while, moderation, temperance, things, commendable

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Thank you dear Father Massimiliano, I'll try not to let you down and I promise you two and a half months of complete sexual abstinence until April 9 [election].

Silvio Berlusconi

— Speaking at his party's convention in Sardinia (28 January 2006), as reported in Il Giornale (29 January 2006)
Variant translation: I'll try not to let you down and I promise you two and a half months of complete sexual abstinence until election day.As reported in "Did I say This? in The Observer (20 April 2008)

Tags: Thank, you, Father, Massimiliano, try, down, promise, two, half

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Prudence and justice tell me that in electricity and steam there is more love for man than in chastity and abstinence from meat.

Anton Chekhov

— Letter to A.S. Suvorin (March 27, 1894)

Tags: Prudence, justice, tell, me, electricity, steam, there, more, love

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We're doing a great disservice to our young people because the only protection is abstinence, as condoms have been proven fallible....The federal government should not be telling young people to use condoms....It's also an insult to teenagers, reducing them to the level of a dog that can't control its hormones.

Christine O'Donnell

— Washington Times, 1 December 1995 
"O'Donnell: Condoms Are An "Anti-Human" "Insult" That Reduce People "To The Level Of A Dog"", Political Correction (Media Matters Action Network), 16 September 2010, retrieved on 2010-10-20 

Tags: doing, great, disservice, our, young, people, protection, condoms, been

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We do not require elaborate training merely in order to refrain from embarking upon intricate trains of inference. Such abstinence is only too easy.

Alfred North Whitehead

— Symbolism: Its Meaning and Effect (1927)

Tags: We, require, elaborate, training, order, refrain, embarking, intricate, trains

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Tea's proper use is to amuse the idle, and relax the studious, and dilute the full meals of those who cannot use exercise, and will not use abstinence.

samuel johnson

— Samuel Johnson, Essay on tea (1757). Quoted in: Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition. Victor R. Preedy, Ronald Ross Watson, Colin R. Martin. Springer, 2011. ISBN: 0387922709, p. 628.

Tags: proper, use, amuse, idle, relax, studious, dilute, full, meals

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Against diseases here the strongest fence, Is the defensive vertue, abstinence.

Robert Herrick

— Robert Herrick, Abstinence.

Tags: Against, diseases, here, strongest, fence, defensive, vertue

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The whole duty of man is embraced in the two principles of abstinence and patience: temperance in prosperity, and courage in adversity.


— Seneca the Younger, reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 576.

Tags: whole, duty, man, embraced, two, principles, patience, temperance, prosperity

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What God is he, writes laws of peace, & clothes him in a tempest What pitying Angel lusts for tears, and fans himself with sighs What crawling villain preaches abstinence & wraps himself In fat of lambs? no more I follow, no more obedience pay!


— William Blake in "America: A Prophecy" (1793). Spoken by "Boston's Angel".

Tags: What, God, writes, laws, peace, amp, clothes, him, tempest

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abstinence sows sand all overThe ruddy limbs and flaming hair,But desire gratifiedPlants fruits of life and beauty there.

william blake

— Abstinence Sows Sand

Tags: sows, sand, overThe, ruddy, limbs, flaming, desire, fruits, life

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abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.

samuel johnson

— Quoted in Anecdotes of Johnson by Hannah More in Johnsonian Miscellanies (1897), vol. II, p. 197, edited by George Birkbeck Hill. More had quoted this remark in a letter to her sister (April 1782).

Tags: easy, me, temperance, difficult

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abstinence is whereby a man refraineth from any thyng which he may lawfully take.


— T. Elyot, Governour, Book III. Chapter XVI.

Tags: man, thyng, may, lawfully

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abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.

samuel johnson

— Samuel Johnson, Hannah More's Johnsoniana, p. 467.

Tags: easy, me, temperance, difficult

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abstinence from all injustice to other first-rate powers is a greater tower of strength than anything that can be gained by the sacrifice of permanent tranquillity for an apparent temporary advantage.


— Book I, 1.42-[3]

Tags: injustice, other, firstrate, powers, greater, tower, strength, anything, can

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Multi quidem facilius se abstinent ut non utantur, quam temperent ut bene utantur. For many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.

St Augustine originally Aurelius Augustinus

— AD 401 On the Good of Marriage, ch.21.

Tags: Multi, quidem, facilius, abstinent, utantur, quam, total, easier, perfect

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Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of abstinence will break more easily than condoms.


— Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders

Tags: Condoms, break, can, assure, you, vows, more, easily

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My experience through life has convinced me that, while moderation and temperance in all things are commendable and beneficial, abstinence from spiritous liquors is the best safeguard of morals and health.


— Robert E. Lee, letter to a "Friends of Temperance" society (9 December 1869); as quoted in Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee (1875) by John William Jones, p. 170.

Tags: experience, life, convinced, me, while, moderation, temperance, things, commendable

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abstinence from all injustice to other first-rate powers is a greater tower of strength than anything that can be gained by the sacrifice of permanent tranquillity for an apparent temporary advantage.

Thucydides

— Book I, 1.42-[3]

Tags: injustice, other, firstrate, powers, greater, tower, strength, anything, can

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