--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Music is the only sensual gratification…" description: "\"Music is the only sensual gratification which mankind may indulge in to excess without injury to their moral or religious feelings.\" — Joseph Addison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-addison-377_excess_music-is-the-only-sensual-gratification_2489003.png" --- # Music is the only sensual gratification which mankind may… ![“Music is the only sensual gratification which mankind may indulge in to excess without injury to their moral or religious feelings.” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-addison-377_excess_music-is-the-only-sensual-gratification_2489003.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-addison-377_excess_music-is-the-only-sensual-gratification_2489003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/joseph-addison-377_excess_music-is-the-only-sensual-gratification_2489003.png) > “Music is the only sensual gratification which mankind may indulge in to excess without injury to their moral or religious feelings.” [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. Music offers sensual pleasure without harming moral or religious sensibilities, unlike other excesses. **In simple terms:** Music provides safe sensual enjoyment. Key Takeaway Enjoy music responsibly as a wholesome pleasure. Themes art music ethics Mood contemplative appreciative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - leisure time - cultural events - personal enjoyment Key Concepts aesthetic pleasure cultural values sensory experience Questions to Reflect On - How does music affect your mood? - What role should music play in moral life? A Different Perspective May overlook potential negative influences of certain music. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excess/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification/) [Injury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injury/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Sensual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensual/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [If men are discharged of reverence for ancient usage, they will treat this world, almost certainly, as if it were their private property, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/if-men-are-discharged-of-reverence-for-ancient-usage-they-will-treat/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [“He had no use for sensual gratification, unless that gratification consisted of pure, incorporeal odors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/he-had-no-use-for-sensual-gratification-unless-that-gratification/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [Music is the only sensual pleasure without vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/music-is-the-only-sensual-pleasure-without-vice/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I'm trying to make music a sensual expression, not an academic experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hill/i-m-trying-to-make-music-a-sensual-expression-not-an-academic/) [Andrew Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hill/) > [Music can also be a sensual pleasure, like eating food or sex. But its highest vibration for me is that point of taking us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-riley/music-can-also-be-a-sensual-pleasure-like-eating-food-or-sex-but-its/) [Terry Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-riley/) > [Architecture is, to a certain extent, a sensual gratification. It addresses itself to the eye, and affords the best scope for the parade of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/architecture-is-to-a-certain-extent-a-sensual-gratification-it/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [We live in a society right now which is the last phase of the ecosystem in terms of the old entertainment value, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/we-live-in-a-society-right-now-which-is-the-last-phase-of-the/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [Our commitment should be to leave our environment in better shape than when we found it, our nation's fiscal house in better order, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/our-commitment-should-be-to-leave-our-environment-in-better-shape/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world; and if in the present life his happiness arises from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/a-contented-mind-is-the-greatest-blessing-a-man-can-enjoy-in-this/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Let us dig our gardens and not be elsewhere; Let us take long walks in the open air... Let us bathe in the rivers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-linssen/let-us-dig-our-gardens-and-not-be-elsewhere-let-us-take-long-walks-in/) [Robert Linssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-linssen/) > [The sickly cultural pathos which the whole of France indulges in, that fetishism of the cultural heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/the-sickly-cultural-pathos-which-the-whole-of-france-indulges-in-that/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [Self-pity is, perhaps, the least becoming of all emotions, and we often indulge in it only beause we are too exhausted to resist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-baker-priest/self-pity-is-perhaps-the-least-becoming-of-all-emotions-and-we-often/) [Ivy Baker Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-baker-priest/) > [Why will no man confess his faults? Because he continues to indulge in them; a man cannot tell his dream till he wakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/why-will-no-man-confess-his-faults-because-he-continues-to-indulge-in/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [If you indulge in long periods, you must be sure to have a snapper at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-you-indulge-in-long-periods-you-must-be-sure-to-have-a-snapper-at/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [To expect happiness without giving up negative action is like holding your hand in a fire and hoping not to be burned. Of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/to-expect-happiness-without-giving-up-negative-action-is-like-holding/) [Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/) ## 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 Excess quotes > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. 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Some/only open at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ryan/a-too-closely-watched-flower-blossoms-the-wrong-color-excess/) [Kay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ryan/) > [This isn't a picture filled with wonder and a sense of fun; it's so jaded and crass that I almost wonder if it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-zacharek/this-isn-t-a-picture-filled-with-wonder-and-a-sense-of-fun-it-s-so/) [Stephanie Zacharek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-zacharek/) > [Enjoy the necessities of life but eschew the excesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gardner/enjoy-the-necessities-of-life-but-eschew-the-excesses/) [Ian Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gardner/) > [Most of us try to do too much because we are secretly afraid we will not be able to do anything at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-aster/most-of-us-try-to-do-too-much-because-we-are-secretly-afraid-we-will/) Rick Aster > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [All excess is ill; but drunkenness is of the worst sort. It spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans men. It reveals secrets, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/all-excess-is-ill-but-drunkenness-is-of-the-worst-sort-it-spoils/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory. He’s got esprit up to here. 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