James G. Frazer, James George Frazer (January 1922), "London Life in the Time of Addison", The Quarterly Review pages: 18–32 quote p. 32
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The last place in London to which I will ask the reader to accompany me with Addison is one which has changed but little since his time, and has been of late very much in all our thoughts—I mean Westminster Abbey. He tells us that in his serious and pensive moods he very often walked there by himself, where the gloominess of the place, with the solemnity of the building, and the condition of the people who lie in it, filled his mind with a melancholy, or rather a thoughtfulness, that was not unpleasing.

— James G. Frazer

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The last place in London to which I will ask the reader to accompany me with Addison is one which has changed but little since his time, and has been of late very much in all our thoughts—I mean Westminster Abbey. He tells us that in his serious and pensive moods he very often walked there by himself, where the gloominess of the place, with the solemnity of the building, and the condition of the people who lie in it, filled his mind with a melancholy, or rather a thoughtfulness, that was not unpleasing." in the context of "James G. Frazer, James George Frazer (January 1922), "London Life in the Time of Addison", The Quarterly Review pages: 18–32 quote p. 32" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Joseph Addison" (Quotes about Addison) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Joseph Addison

About Joseph Addison

Joseph Addison (May 1 1672 – June 17 1719) was an English politician and writer. His name is often remembered in tandem with that of his friend, Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine.