---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That praises are without reason lavished…"
description: "\"That praises are without reason lavished on the dead, and that the honours due only to are paid to antiquity, is a complaint likely to be always contin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/ben-jonson-1371_able_that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished_1612818.png"
---

#  That praises are without reason lavished on the dead, and…

![“That praises are without reason lavished on the dead, and that the honours due only to are paid to antiquity, is a complaint likely to be always continued by those who, being able to add nothing to truth, hope for eminence from the heresies of paradox; or those who, being forced by disappointment…” quote by Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/ben-jonson-1371_able_that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished_1612818.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/ben-jonson-1371_able_that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished_1612818.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/ben-jonson-1371_able_that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished_1612818.png)

> “That praises are without reason lavished on the dead, and that the honours due only to are paid to antiquity, is a complaint likely to be always continued by those who, being able to add nothing to truth, hope for eminence from the heresies of paradox; or those who, being forced by disappointment upon consolatory expedients, are willing to hope from posterity what the present age refuses, and flatter themselves that the regard which is yet denied by envy will be at last bestowed by time.”

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People often praise the dead and ancient traditions without reason, using them to mask their own lack of truth and seek fame through paradoxical heresies or false hopes for future recognition.

**In simple terms:** Empty praise hides lack of truth and seeks fame.

Key Takeaway

Critically examine the motives behind praise.

Themes

honor tradition truth vanity historical memory

Mood

reflective skeptical

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- academic discourse
- political speeches
- memorial services
- family gatherings
- media commentary

Key Concepts

philosophy social criticism ego reputation legacy

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we elevate the past?
- How can we balance respect with critical thinking?

A Different Perspective

Such praise may also stem from genuine reverence, not merely self‑interest.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Antiquity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiquity/) [Antiquity Complaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiquity-complaint-6151463/) [Complaints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaints/) [Denied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denied/) [Denied Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denied-envy-6151466/) [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Dues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dues/) [Eminence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eminence/) [Eminence Heresies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eminence-heresies-6151462/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Heresies Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heresies-paradox-6151465/) [Heresy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heresy/) [Honour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honour/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Posterity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posterity/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Lavished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-lavished-6151464/) [Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse/) [Regard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) [Without reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-reason/)

## Related quotes

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is no slight testimonial, both to the merit and worth of Christianity, that in all ages since its promulgation the great mass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/it-is-no-slight-testimonial-both-to-the-merit-and-worth-of/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [In conclusion I congratulate you, my fellow-citizens, upon the high state of prosperity to which the goodness of Divine Providence has conducted our common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-taylor/in-conclusion-i-congratulate-you-my-fellow-citizens-upon-the-high/)

[Zachary Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-taylor/)

> [There is a form of eminence which does not depend on fate; it is an air which sets us apart and seems to prtend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/there-is-a-form-of-eminence-which-does-not-depend-on-fate-it-is-an/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [An incessant change of means to attain unalterable ends is always going on; we must take care not to let these sundry means undo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/an-incessant-change-of-means-to-attain-unalterable-ends-is-always/)

[George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/)

> [Power is seldom innocent, and envy is the yokefellow of eminence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/power-is-seldom-innocent-and-envy-is-the-yokefellow-of-eminence/)

[Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/)

> [The one profession where you can gain great eminence without ever being right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meany/the-one-profession-where-you-can-gain-great-eminence-without-ever/)

[George Meany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meany/)

> [I will be satisfied if my epitaph shall be written thus: 'Here lies one who never rose to any eminence, who only courted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thaddeus-stevens/i-will-be-satisfied-if-my-epitaph-shall-be-written-thus-here-lies-one/)

[Thaddeus Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thaddeus-stevens/)

> [I do not find illness an eminence, and I do not understand how people can use it to draw attention to themselves since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-do-not-find-illness-an-eminence-and-i-do-not-understand-how-people/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [If I were a German today, I would be proud, proud but also worried. I would be proud of the magnificent achievement of rebuilding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/if-i-were-a-german-today-i-would-be-proud-proud-but-also-worried-i/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [The chief distinction in the intellectual powers of the two sexes is shown by mans attaining to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-chief-distinction-in-the-intellectual-powers-of-the-two-sexes-is/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Distinction is an eminence that is attained but too frequently at the expense of a fireside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/distinction-is-an-eminence-that-is-attained-but-too-frequently-at-the/)

[William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/)

> [The building of Kuwait and her Eminence, it's defense and protection, is primarily a responsibility by her people and the efforts of her children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah/the-building-of-kuwait-and-her-eminence-it-s-defense-and-protection/)

[Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah/)

> [ \[Science\] has challenged the super-eminence of religion; it has turned all philosophy out of doors except that which clings to its skirts; it has… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-fullerton-gerould/science-has-challenged-the-super-eminence-of-religion-it-has-turned/)

[Katharine Fullerton Gerould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-fullerton-gerould/)

## More by Ben Jonson

> [Soul of the Age! The applause! delight! the wonder of our stage! My Shakespeare, rise; I will not lodge thee by Chaucer, or Spenser,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/soul-of-the-age-the-applause-delight-the-wonder-of-our-stage-my/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [Ambition, like a torrent, never looks back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/ambition-like-a-torrent-never-looks-back/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [Heaven prepares good men with crosses; but no ill can happen to a good man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/heaven-prepares-good-men-with-crosses-but-no-ill-can-happen-to-a-good/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [The dignity of truth is lost with much protesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/the-dignity-of-truth-is-lost-with-much-protesting/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [True melancholy breeds your perfect fine wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/true-melancholy-breeds-your-perfect-fine-wit/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [Leave a kiss but in the cup, and I'll not look for wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/leave-a-kiss-but-in-the-cup-and-i-ll-not-look-for-wine/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [All discourses but my own afflict me; they seem harsh, impertinent, and irksome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/all-discourses-but-my-own-afflict-me-they-seem-harsh-impertinent-and/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [“drink to the cause, and pure vapours”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/drink-to-the-cause-and-pure-vapours/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [Spread yourself upon his bosom publicly, whose heart you would eat in private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/spread-yourself-upon-his-bosom-publicly-whose-heart-you-would-eat-in/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [That old bald cheater, Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/that-old-bald-cheater-time/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [Rich apparel has strange virtues; it makes him that hath it without means esteemed for an excellent wit; he that enjoys it with means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/rich-apparel-has-strange-virtues-it-makes-him-that-hath-it-without/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [Each petty hand Can steer a ship becalm'd; but he that will Govern and carry her to her ends, must know His tides, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/each-petty-hand-can-steer-a-ship-becalm-d-but-he-that-will-govern-and/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [The way to rise is to obey and please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/the-way-to-rise-is-to-obey-and-please/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [The covetous man never has money. The prodigal will have none shortly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/the-covetous-man-never-has-money-the-prodigal-will-have-none-shortly/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [Fortune, that favors fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/fortune-that-favors-fools/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

[Explore all 249 Ben Jonson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That praises are without reason lavished on the dead, and that the honours due only to are paid to antiquity, is a complaint likely to be always continued by those who, being able to add nothing to truth, hope for eminence from the heresies of paradox; or those who, being forced by disappointment upon consolatory expedients, are willing to hope from posterity what the present age refuses, and flatter themselves that the regard which is yet denied by envy will be at last bestowed by time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ben Jonson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished-on-the-dead-and-that-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished-on-the-dead-and-that-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/ben-jonson-1371_able_that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished_1612818.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/ben-jonson-1371_able_that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished_1612818.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/ben-jonson-1371_able_that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished_1612818.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That praises are without reason lavished on the dead, and that the honours due only to are paid to…” — Ben Jonson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ben Jonson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That praises are without reason lavished...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished-on-the-dead-and-that-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/that-praises-are-without-reason-lavished-on-the-dead-and-that-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
