He that would be long an old Man

From Wikipedia

He that would be long an old Man, must begin early to be one: It is too late to resign a thing after a Man is robbed of it; therefore it is necessary that before the Arrival of Age we bid adieu to the Pursuits of Youth, otherwise sensual Habits will live in our Imagination when our Limbs cannot be subservient to them. The poor Fellow who lost his Arm last Siege will tell you, he feels the Fingers that are buried in Flanders ake [ache] every every cold Morning at Chelsea.

The Applause of a good Actor is due to him at whatever scene of the Play he makes his Exit. It is thus in the Life of a Man of Sense, a short Life is sufficient to manifest himself a Man of Honour and Virtue; when he ceases to be such he has lived too long; and while he is such, it is of no Consequence to him how long he shall be so, provided he is so to his life's End.

The Spectator - Saturday August 25th 1711

Reduced to their quintessence

From Wikipedia

Another favourite quote from the Spectator, this time complaining of essays padded out into books. One more issue we haven't resolved during the intervening 300 years.

Were all Books reduced thus to their Quintessence, many a bulky Author would make his Appearance in a Penny Paper: There would be scarce such a thing in Nature as a Folio: The Works of an Age would be contained on a few Shelves; not to mention Millions of Volumes that would be utterly annihilated.

The Spectator. July 23^rd 1711

Books and Systems

From Wikipedia

A favourite quote from the Spectator - still valid 300 years on :-

There are several Arts which all Men are in some measure Masters of, without having been at the Pains of learning them. Every one that speaks or reasons is a Grammarian and a Logician, tho’ he may be wholly unacquainted with the Rules of Grammar and Logick, as they are delivered in Books and Systems.

The Spectator. June 8^th 1711