--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no defense against reproach, but…" description: "\"There is no defense against reproach, but obscurity; it is a kind of concomitant to greatness.\" — Joseph Addison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/joseph-addison-377_defense_there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but_3140104.png" --- # There is no defense against reproach, but obscurity; it is… ![“There is no defense against reproach, but obscurity; it is a kind of concomitant to greatness.” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/joseph-addison-377_defense_there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but_3140104.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/joseph-addison-377_defense_there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but_3140104.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/joseph-addison-377_defense_there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but_3140104.png) > “There is no defense against reproach, but obscurity; it is a kind of concomitant to greatness.” [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. Greatness inevitably attracts criticism; only anonymity can shield one from judgment. **In simple terms:** Fame brings criticism, obscurity avoids it. Key Takeaway Accept criticism as part of success. Themes greatness criticism anonymity Mood reflective serious Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - leadership - public life - creative work Key Concepts reputation social perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle criticism when you become visible? - Can obscurity be a sustainable strategy? A Different Perspective Criticism can also motivate improvement, not just harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Obscurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscurity/) ## Related quotes > [There is no defence against reproach, but obscurity; it is a kind of concomitant to greatness, as satires and invectives were an essential part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-defence-against-reproach-but-obscurity-it-is-a-kind-of/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Their is no defense against criticism except obscurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/their-is-no-defense-against-criticism-except-obscurity/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There are greater depths and obscurities, greater intricacies and perplexities, in an elaborate and well-written piece of nonsense, than in the most abstruse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-are-greater-depths-and-obscurities-greater-intricacies-and/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Believing is a fine thing, but placing those beliefs into execution is a test of strength. Many are those who talk like the roar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/believing-is-a-fine-thing-but-placing-those-beliefs-into-execution-is/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [I thought that my voyage had come to its end at the last limit of my power, that the path before me was closed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/i-thought-that-my-voyage-had-come-to-its-end-at-the-last-limit-of-my/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [What is popular is not necessarily vulgar; and that which we try to rescue from fatal obscurity had in general much better remain where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/what-is-popular-is-not-necessarily-vulgar-and-that-which-we-try-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [You have to demand things and believe you're worth more. And once you do demand them, you're usually going to get them. The players…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-wicks/you-have-to-demand-things-and-believe-you-re-worth-more-and-once-you/) [Sue Wicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-wicks/) > [Those who know that they are profound strive for clarity. Those who would like to seem profound to the crowd strive for obscurity. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/those-who-know-that-they-are-profound-strive-for-clarity-those-who/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [In the still of the night I can hear my thoughts and dance into obscurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sparks/in-the-still-of-the-night-i-can-hear-my-thoughts-and-dance-into/) Kevin Sparks > [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [One of the only coherent philosophical positions is thus revolt. It is a constant confrontation between man and his own obscurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/one-of-the-only-coherent-philosophical-positions-is-thus-revolt-it-is/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Full many a flower is born to blush unseen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/full-many-a-flower-is-born-to-blush-unseen/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [If I am ever obscure in my expressions, do not fancy that therefore I am deep. If I were really deep, all the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/if-i-am-ever-obscure-in-my-expressions-do-not-fancy-that-therefore-i/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-true-is-it-that-all-transactions-of-preeminent-importance-are/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## 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 Defense quotes > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [My last defense / Is the present tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [Football is not just all about throwing the ball. You got to run the ball, too. Defense has to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/football-is-not-just-all-about-throwing-the-ball-you-got-to-run-the/) [Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [Witness for the defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/witness-for-the-defense-albus-percival-wulfric-brian-dumbledore/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You say I have a bad attitude. But have you ever stopped to check yours?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-marie/you-say-i-have-a-bad-attitude-but-have-you-ever-stopped-to-check-yours/) Tasha Marie > [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. Take the hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/he-should-release-the-tax-returns-tomorrow-it-s-crazy-you-ve-got-to/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/defense-is-a-definite-part-of-the-game-and-a-great-part-of-defense-is/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [When you shoot someone who is fleeing, it's not self-defense. It's an execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-shoot-someone-who-is-fleeing-it-s-not-self-defense-it-s-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) Browse all 2,426 Defense quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no defense against reproach, but obscurity; it is a kind of concomitant to greatness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Addison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but-obscurity-it-is-a-kind-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defense" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but-obscurity-it-is-a-kind-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/joseph-addison-377_defense_there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but_3140104.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/joseph-addison-377_defense_there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but_3140104.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/joseph-addison-377_defense_there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but_3140104.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no defense against reproach, but obscurity; it is a kind of concomitant to greatness.” — 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": "There is no defense against reproach,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but-obscurity-it-is-a-kind-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-defense-against-reproach-but-obscurity-it-is-a-kind-of/#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 } } ] } ```