Known sourcecanonical
"To make a bank was a great plot of state; Invent a shovel, and be a magistrate."
Andrew Marvell / The Character of Holland.
The Character of Holland.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
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"Man's life is like unto a winter's day,-- Some break their fast and so depart away; Others stay dinner, then depart full fed; The longest age but sups and goes to bed. O reader, then behold and see! As we are now, so must you be."
Joseph Henshaw / Horæ Sucissive (1631).
Horæ Sucissive (1631).
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"But felt through all this fleshly dress Bright shoots of everlastingness."
Henry Vaughan / The Retreat.
The Retreat.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"I see them walking in an air of glory Whose light doth trample on my days,-- My days, which are at best but dull and hoary, Mere glimmering and decays."
Henry Vaughan / They are all gone.
They are all gone.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Dear, beauteous death, the jewel of the just! Shining nowhere but in the dark; What mysteries do lie beyond thy dust, Could man outlook that mark!"
Henry Vaughan / They are all gone.
They are all gone.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"And yet, as angels in some brighter dreams Call to the soul when man doth sleep, So some strange thoughts transcend our wonted themes, And into glory peep."
Henry Vaughan / They are all gone.
They are all gone.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Then bless thy secret growth, nor catch At noise, but thrive unseen and dumb; Keep clean, be as fruit, earn life, and watch Till the white-wing'd reapers come!"
Henry Vaughan / The Seed growing secretly.
The Seed growing secretly.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Manus haec inimica tyrannis Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem."
Algernon Sidney / From the Life and Memoirs of Algernon Sidney.
From the Life and Memoirs of Algernon Sidney.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Liars ought to have good memories."
Algernon Sidney / Discourses on Government. Chap. ii. Sect. xv.
Discourses on Government. Chap. ii. Sect. xv.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Men lived like fishes; the great ones devoured the small."
Algernon Sidney / Discourses on Government. Chap. ii. Sect. xviii.
Discourses on Government. Chap. ii. Sect. xviii.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"God helps those who help themselves."
Algernon Sidney / Discourses on Government. Chap. ii. Sect. xxiii.
Discourses on Government. Chap. ii. Sect. xxiii.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"It is not necessary to light a candle to the sun."
Algernon Sidney / Discourses on Government. Chap. ii. Sect. xxiii.
Discourses on Government. Chap. ii. Sect. xxiii.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Learn to read slow: all other graces Will follow in their proper places."
William Walker / The Art of Reading.
The Art of Reading.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"And so I penned It down, until at last it came to be, For length and breadth, the bigness which you see."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Apology for his Book.
Pilgrim's Progress. Apology for his Book.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Some said, "John, print it;" others said, "Not so." Some said, "It might do good;" others said, "No.""
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Apology for his Book.
Pilgrim's Progress. Apology for his Book.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"The name of the slough was Despond."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Every fat must stand upon his bottom."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Dark as pitch."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"It beareth the name of Vanity Fair, because the town where 't is kept is lighter than vanity."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"The palace Beautiful."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"They came to the Delectable Mountains."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Pilgrim's Progress. Part i.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Some things are of that nature as to make One's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. The Author's Way of sending forth his Second Part of the Pilgrim.
Pilgrim's Progress. The Author's Way of sending forth his Second Part of the Pilgrim.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"He that is down needs fear no fall."
John Bunyan / Pilgrim's Progress. Part ii.
Pilgrim's Progress. Part ii.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Books, like proverbs, receive their chief value from the stamp and esteem of ages through which they have passed."
Sir William Temple / Ancient and Modern Learning.
Ancient and Modern Learning.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"No clap of thunder in a fair frosty day could more astonish the world than our declaration of war against Holland in 1672."
Sir William Temple / Memoirs. Vol. ii. p. 255.
Memoirs. Vol. ii. p. 255.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"When all is done, human life is, at the greatest and the best, but like a froward child, that must be played with and humoured a little to keep it quiet till it falls asleep, and then the care is over."
Sir William Temple / Miscellanea. Part ii. Of Poetry.
Miscellanea. Part ii. Of Poetry.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"God sifted a whole nation that he might send choice grain over into this wilderness."
William Stoughton / Election Sermon at Boston, April 29, 1669.
Election Sermon at Boston, April 29, 1669.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Above any Greek or Roman name."
John Dryden / Upon the Death of Lord Hastings. Line 76.
Upon the Death of Lord Hastings. Line 76.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"And threat'ning France, plac'd like a painted Jove, Kept idle thunder in his lifted hand."
John Dryden / Annus Mirabilis. Stanza 39.
Annus Mirabilis. Stanza 39.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Whate'er he did was done with so much ease, In him alone 't was natural to please."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 27.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 27.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"A fiery soul, which, working out its way, Fretted the pygmy-body to decay, And o'er-inform'd the tenement of clay. A daring pilot in extremity; Pleas'd with the danger, when the waves went high He sought the storms."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 156.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 156.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Great wits are sure to madness near allied, And thin partitions do their bounds divide."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 163.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 163.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"And all to leave what with his toil he won To that unfeather'd two-legged thing, a son."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 169.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 169.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Resolv'd to ruin or to rule the state."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 174.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 174.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"And heaven had wanted one immortal song."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 197.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 197.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"But wild Ambition loves to slide, not stand, And Fortune's ice prefers to Virtue's land."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 198.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 198.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"The people's prayer, the glad diviner's theme, The young men's vision, and the old men's dream!"
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 238.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 238.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Behold him setting in his western skies, The shadows lengthening as the vapours rise."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 268.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 268.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Than a successive title long and dark, Drawn from the mouldy rolls of Noah's ark."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 301.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 301.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Not only hating David, but the king."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 512.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 512.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Who think too little, and who talk too much."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 534.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 534.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"A man so various, that he seem'd to be Not one, but all mankind's epitome; Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong, Was everything by starts, and nothing long; But in the course of one revolving moon Was chymist, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 545.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 545.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"So over violent, or over civil, That every man with him was God or Devil."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 557.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 557.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"His tribe were God Almighty's gentlemen."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 645.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 645.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Him of the western dome, whose weighty sense Flows in fit words and heavenly eloquence."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 868.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 868.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Beware the fury of a patient man."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 1005.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 1005.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Made still a blund'ring kind of melody; Spurr'd boldly on, and dashed through thick and thin, Through sense and nonsense, never out nor in."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part ii. Line 413.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part ii. Line 413.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"For every inch that is not fool is rogue."
John Dryden / Absalom and Achitophel. Part ii. Line 463.
Absalom and Achitophel. Part ii. Line 463.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"Men met each other with erected look, The steps were higher that they took; Friends to congratulate their friends made haste, And long inveterate foes saluted as they pass'd."
John Dryden / Threnodia Augustalis. Line 124.
Threnodia Augustalis. Line 124.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain
Known sourcecanonical
"For truth has such a face and such a mien, As to be lov'd needs only to be seen."
John Dryden / The Hind and the Panther. Part i. Line 33.
The Hind and the Panther. Part i. Line 33.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 9th ed. (Little, Brown, 1905), public domain