--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great Pompey's shade complains that we…" description: "\"Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, And Scipio's ghost walks unaveng'd amongst us!\" — Joseph Addison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/joseph-addison-377_complaining_great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-a_2660787.png" --- # Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, And… ![“Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, And Scipio's ghost walks unaveng'd amongst us!” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/joseph-addison-377_complaining_great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-a_2660787.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/joseph-addison-377_complaining_great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-a_2660787.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/joseph-addison-377_complaining_great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-a_2660787.png) > “Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, And Scipio's ghost walks unaveng'd amongst us!” [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical figures are used to criticize contemporary in and inaction. **In simple terms:** Past leaders highlight current laziness. Key Takeaway Learn from history, act promptly. Themes history politics criticism Mood reflective critical Type historical political When to use this quote - political debate - public policy - education - activism Key Concepts civic duty leadership motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can we apply lessons from history responsibly? - What modern parallels truly exist? A Different Perspective Historical analogies may oversimplify complex modern issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complaining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaining/) [Complaints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaints/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Pompey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pompey/) [Pompey Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pompey-shade-2426416/) [Scipio Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scipio-ghost-2426417/) [Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shade/) [Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow/) [Slow Scipio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-scipio-2426415/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) ## Related quotes > [Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, And Scipio's ghost walks unavenged amongst us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-are-slow-and-scipio-s-ghost/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Does it serve any useful purpose to know that Pompey was the first to exhibit the slaughter of eighteen elephants in the Circus, pitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/does-it-serve-any-useful-purpose-to-know-that-pompey-was-the-first-to/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things! O you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome, Knew you not Pompey?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/you-blocks-you-stones-you-worse-than-senseless-things-o-you-hard/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I was a Pompey lass - I can't say I supported Pompey all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/i-was-a-pompey-lass-i-can-t-say-i-supported-pompey-all-the-time/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) > [I feel a much greater interest in knowing what has passed two or three thousand years ago, than in what is now passing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-feel-a-much-greater-interest-in-knowing-what-has-passed-two-or/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Pompey had fought brilliantly and in the end routed Caesar's whole force... but either he was unable to or else he feared to push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/pompey-had-fought-brilliantly-and-in-the-end-routed-caesar-s-whole/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Our men must win or die. Pompey's men have... other options.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/our-men-must-win-or-die-pompey-s-men-have-other-options/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [After the battle in Pharsalia, when Pompey was fled, one Nonius said they had seven eagles left still, and advised to try what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/after-the-battle-in-pharsalia-when-pompey-was-fled-one-nonius-said/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Pompey bade Sylla recollect that more worshipped the rising than the setting sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/pompey-bade-sylla-recollect-that-more-worshipped-the-rising-than-the/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [When confronted by a hungry wolf, it is unwise to goad the beast, as Cato would have us do. But it is equally unwise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/when-confronted-by-a-hungry-wolf-it-is-unwise-to-goad-the-beast-as/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon takes up the wondrous tale, And nightly to the listening earth Repeats the story of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/soon-as-the-evening-shades-prevail-the-moon-takes-up-the-wondrous/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Nature has laid out all her art in beautifying the face; she has touched it with vermilion, planted in it a double row of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/nature-has-laid-out-all-her-art-in-beautifying-the-face-she-has/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Gratitude is the law of increase, and complaint is the law of decrease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-scovel-shinn/gratitude-is-the-law-of-increase-and-complaint-is-the-law-of-decrease/) [Florence Scovel Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-scovel-shinn/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) ## More by Joseph Addison > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-nothing-touches-our-imagination-so-much-as-a-beautiful-woman/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [We are always doing something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-are-always-doing-something-for-posterity-but-i-would-fain-see/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private Women to Shine in. If they must be showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/female-virtues-are-of-a-domestick-turn-the-family-is-the-proper/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [When love once pleads admission to our hearts, In spite of all the virtue we can boast, The woman that deliberates is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/when-love-once-pleads-admission-to-our-hearts-in-spite-of-all-the/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Many actions calculated to procure fame are not conducive to ultimate happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/many-actions-calculated-to-procure-fame-are-not-conducive-to-ultimate/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [T is liberty crowns Britannia's Isle, And makes her barren rocks and her bleak mountains smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/t-is-liberty-crowns-britannia-s-isle-and-makes-her-barren-rocks-and/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/reading-is-a-basic-tool-in-the-living-of-a-good-life/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The moral perfections of the Deity, the more attentively, we consider, the more perfectly still shall we know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-moral-perfections-of-the-deity-the-more-attentively-we-consider/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The utmost we can hope for in this world is contentment; if we aim at anything higher, we shall meet with nothing but grief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-utmost-we-can-hope-for-in-this-world-is-contentment-if-we-aim-at/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty acts;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/courage-that-grows-from-constitution-often-forsakes-a-man-when-he-has/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The most skillful flattery is to let a person talk on, and be a listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-most-skillful-flattery-is-to-let-a-person-talk-on-and-be-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) [Explore all 620 Joseph Addison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## More Complaining quotes > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [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/) > [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [They have no right to complain! If women were cool with knowing their man is cheating on them then they have no right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/they-have-no-right-to-complain-if-women-were-cool-with-knowing-their/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Do not complain of life's unfairness. It is never fair - at best it is impartial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/do-not-complain-of-life-s-unfairness-it-is-never-fair-at-best-it-is/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [But if people will laugh at my work and keep a sound roof over my head, who am I to complain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-burke/but-if-people-will-laugh-at-my-work-and-keep-a-sound-roof-over-my/) [Billie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-burke/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You shouldn't get to live in society and give nothing back. People complain about their taxes, yet they do nothing for the community. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-turner/you-shouldn-t-get-to-live-in-society-and-give-nothing-back-people/) [Kathleen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-turner/) > [I was so drunk last night I fell down and missed the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/i-was-so-drunk-last-night-i-fell-down-and-missed-the-floor/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [Once the war began, the government could do anything 'necessary' to win it; so it was with the 'final solution of the Jewish problem,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-mayer/once-the-war-began-the-government-could-do-anything-necessary-to-win/) [Milton Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-mayer/) > [I'll tell you that the dog whistle politics is badly missing the mark. Because, you know, as I've been speaking about it, sure, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naheed-nenshi/i-ll-tell-you-that-the-dog-whistle-politics-is-badly-missing-the-mark/) [Naheed Nenshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naheed-nenshi/) [Browse all 1,994 Complaining quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaining/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, And Scipio's ghost walks unaveng'd amongst us!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Addison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-are-slow-and-scipio-s-ghost-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complaining" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-are-slow-and-scipio-s-ghost-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/joseph-addison-377_complaining_great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-a_2660787.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/joseph-addison-377_complaining_great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-a_2660787.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/601/joseph-addison-377_complaining_great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-a_2660787.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, And Scipio's ghost walks unaveng'd amongst us!” — Joseph Addison", "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": "Joseph Addison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Great Pompey's shade complains that we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-are-slow-and-scipio-s-ghost-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/great-pompey-s-shade-complains-that-we-are-slow-and-scipio-s-ghost-2/#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 } } ] } ```