If you would once refrain from these things which you do continually for the purpose of retaining it, you would lose it at once.
When a man acknowledges a deed to be evil he may refrain from the deed itself, but he can never cease to regard it as evil.
In order to keep the spirit of this commandment one must at least refrain from injuring one's enemies, one must speak kindly of them, and treat all one's fellow-creatures with equal consideration.
I have elsewhere quoted the profound remark of the Russian artist Bruloff on art, but I cannot here refrain from repeating it, because nothing better illustrates what can and what cannot be taught in the schools.
While affirming my faith in the doctrine taught by Christ, I could not refrain from manifesting at the same time the reason why I look upon the ecclesiastical doctrine commonly called Christianity as erroneous, and to me incredible.
Both sexes ought to refrain from marriage if they are in any marked degree inferior in body or mind; but such hopes are Utopian, and will never be even partially realized until the laws of inheritance are thoroughly known.
Will your Majesty order them to refrainfrom sending such despatches through their tribunals, without having your Majesty's new commission for it, thus annulling the said ordinances and sections.
Because of that I called a meeting of the provincials of the orders, so that they should refrain from sending their religious [to Japon] without the governor's orders and mine.
The state and its organs shall refrain from religious education or any other religious activity.
France was too well aware of her victories and superiority, and the servility of the German aristocracy only excited contempt and scorn, which the French gentlemen did not refrain from hurling into the faces of the humble solicitors.
Just listen how the fellows are roaring my name, as if it were the refrain of some rollicking beer-song!
Nevertheless a day will come--through what we do and what we refrain from doing when there will be no bound and limited clerks in Hoxton and no captive typists in the city.
The Freemasons on the building could hardly refrain from jeering at the little priest they had left down below there, performing antiquated puerile mysteries at his altar.
I could not refrain from taking the good fellow with me for the trial trip, for I must have someone to talk to, as I felt in such a joyful mood.
When the day's work was over he would sit in the twilight and spin yarns to me of his own curious experiences, one or two of which I cannot refrain from repeating here.
I am sure you do, Olive; I never doubted it; but I wish you would now do what the doctor orders, and refrain from talking and exciting yourself, and try and get well.
I cannot recognize Lord Dungory's right to advise me on any course I may choose to take, and I hope he will have the good taste to refrain from speaking to me of my marriage.
The two naked creatures who were taking a dip in the quiet, sunlit pool were Olive and Mrs. Barton; and so grotesque were the likenesses that Alice could not refrain from laughing.
When our hearts are set upon some definite blessing, things seem to move too slowly and we can scarcely refrain from urging them on without too scrupulously enquiring into the character of our methods.
I always refrain from laughing loudly and indulging in high passion, and from everything that may give offence.
But Arjuna perceiving that Jayadratha had run away exhorted his brother to refrain from slaughtering the remnant of the Saindhava host.
Refrain thou from doing any violence to this lady.
When I entered I could not refrain from an exclamation of delight, nor can I forbear to describe the place in some detail.
I could only bite my lip and refrain from going into the question further at the moment.
But all these things are terribly difficult; they are endured with murmuring and painful struggles, and men cannot refrain from reflecting upon the motive which impels them to such a course.
Not only refrain from anger yourself, but do not regard the anger of others toward you as vain.
I can no longer refrain from striving to be even more friendly with a foreigner than with one of my own countrymen.
We might, perhaps, refrain from doing injury to our enemies--but to love them!
As the words came to be understood exclusively in this sense, a difficulty arose,--How to refrain from judgment?
Neither can I refrain from mentioning the successful labors of our friend Sir Charles Hartley, in improving the navigation of that great European river, the Danube.
Later, he could not refrain from the thought that if the death had taken place a few weeks earlier, in that first attack, he would have been under no temptation to make himself safe.
My lord glanced away, but he could not refrain from a smile as he pictured the poor affair the other had made of his errand.
Alas, he could not refrain from recalling the May morning on which he had taken his seat in the same train with Mary.
From the Guardian:] Dear co-workers: I cannot refrain from adding a few words in person as a token of my admiration for the manner in which you are conducting your activities for the spread of the Cause.
As for myself, I confess I could not refrain from laughing, which, of course, served only to increase the wrath of Mrs. Simpson.
I however regarded myself as a good temperance man, and soon began to persuade my friends to refrain from the intoxicating cup.
In the breathing-space afforded by the singing of the first verse and refrain by the lady who played the heroine of "The Rose of America," he found time to make an enquiry of the artist on his right.
Our scanty supply of powder made us refrain from shooting any of the numberless birds we saw fluttering amid the trees or skimming along the surface of the water.
I could not refrain from giving a glance astern every now and then, to ascertain if the Indians were coming; but we saw nothing more of them.
I was writing in our front room this afternoon and trying hard to keep my attention on my work and refrain from looking out upon the canal.
I did not begin this paper on Lynmouth Revisited with any intention of entering upon the technicalities of art; so I will refrain from any further remarks tending that way, which leads to far too wide a field for present discussion.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "refrain" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
