Excerpt From
Thomas Babington Macaulay Macaulay. “The History of England, from the Accession of James II — Volume 3

The innocent pleasures of life are incalculable. They are admission without cost to the finest performances of existence. Discovering the secret to such inestimable simplicity is however not to be presumed. The most perishing prerequisite is patience, itself a notoriously select but obstructive restraint. The even greater prohibition to the enactment of life’s innocent pleasures is the failure to appropriate to oneself the subtle aroma and liquor of daily living, an unpredictable and hugely varied acquaintance arising from no measure of calculation or intention. The enterprise of temperance, though by definition mere moderation, is not something which appeals to those of us who prefer to submit to immediacy.

Temperance in its modern use is defined as moderation or voluntary self-restraint. It is typically described in terms of what an individual voluntarily refrains from doing. This includes restraint from revenge by practicing non-violence and forgiveness, restraint from arrogance by practicing humility and modesty, restraint from excesses such as extravagant luxury or splurging, and restraint from rage or craving by practicing calmness and self-control.

Temperance has been described as a virtue by religious thinkers, philosophers, and more recently, psychologists, particularly in the positive psychology movement. It has a long history in philosophical and religious thought.

In classical iconography, the virtue is often depicted as a woman holding two vessels transferring water from one to another.