--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think a Person who is thus terrified…" description: "\"I think a Person who is thus terrified with the Imagination of Ghosts and Spectres much more reasonable, than one who contrary to the Reports of all Hi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/joseph-addison-377_ancient_i-think-a-person-who-is-thus-terrified-w_3081520.png" --- # I think a Person who is thus terrified with the… ![“I think a Person who is thus terrified with the Imagination of Ghosts and Spectres much more reasonable, than one who contrary to the Reports of all Historians sacred and profane, ancient and modern, and to the Traditions of all Nations, thinks the Appearance of Spirits fabulous and groundless.” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/joseph-addison-377_ancient_i-think-a-person-who-is-thus-terrified-w_3081520.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/joseph-addison-377_ancient_i-think-a-person-who-is-thus-terrified-w_3081520.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/joseph-addison-377_ancient_i-think-a-person-who-is-thus-terrified-w_3081520.png) > “I think a Person who is thus terrified with the Imagination of Ghosts and Spectres much more reasonable, than one who contrary to the Reports of all Historians sacred and profane, ancient and modern, and to the Traditions of all Nations, thinks the Appearance of Spirits fabulous and groundless.” [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. The author argues that fearing imagined ghosts is more rational than dismissing historical reports and traditions as baseless. **In simple terms:** Believing in ghosts is more logical than ignoring history. Key Takeaway Respect historical narratives. Themes history belief rationality Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - academic debate - public discourse - education - cultural preservation Key Concepts mythology cultural tradition skepticism Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies cling to supernatural explanations? - How should we balance tradition with critical inquiry? A Different Perspective Some may view ghost stories as superstition rather than rational concern. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Fabulous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabulous/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Reports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reports/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [“Call me crazy, but there is something terribly wrong with this city.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/call-me-crazy-but-there-is-something-terribly-wrong-with-this-city/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [“I can’t help but ask, “Do you know where you are?” She turns to me with a foreboding glare. “Do you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/i-can-t-help-but-ask-do-you-know-where-you-are-she-turns-to-me-with-a/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [“A eulogy is a life lived with a loved one or friend condensed into a few moments relating poignant and witty stories about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/a-eulogy-is-a-life-lived-with-a-loved-one-or-friend-condensed-into-a/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Truly the universe is full of ghosts, not sheeted churchyard spectres, but the inextinguishable elements of individual life, which having once been, can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/truly-the-universe-is-full-of-ghosts-not-sheeted-churchyard-spectres/) [H. 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I think someone is taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/history-doesn-t-start-with-a-tall-building-and-a-card-with-your-name/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [Her affection for him was now the breath and life of Tess's being; it enveloped her as a photosphere, irradiated her into forgetfulness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/her-affection-for-him-was-now-the-breath-and-life-of-tess-s-being-it/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [The sun's rim dips; the stars rush out: At one stride comes the dark; With far-heard whisper o'er the sea, Off shot the spectre-bark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-sun-s-rim-dips-the-stars-rush-out-at-one-stride-comes-the-dark/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [A spectre is haunting Western academia (...), the spectre of the Cartesian subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/a-spectre-is-haunting-western-academia-the-spectre-of-the-cartesian/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“That’s a stupid name! Whirly-gig is much better, I think. Who in their right mind would point at this thing and say, ‘I’m going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/that-s-a-stupid-name-whirly-gig-is-much-better-i-think-who-in-their/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/stop-this-day-and-night-with-me-and-you-shall-possess-the-origin-of/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [One learned gentleman, "a sage grave man," Talk'd of the Ghost in Hamlet, "sheath'd in steel"— His well-read friend, who next to speak began,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/one-learned-gentleman-a-sage-grave-man-talk-d-of-the-ghost-in-hamlet/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) ## 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. 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