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John Dryden Quotes - Page 10

All Quotes Age Anger Art Beauty Bravery Character Children Confidence Conscience Country Crime Criticism Death Democracy Design Desire Devil Dying Evil Faith Fame Fate Fear Fighting Forgiveness Freedom Genius Giving Goodness Grace Guilt Happiness Harmony Heart Heaven Home Honor Imagination Imitation Inspirational Journey Joy Judging Judgment Language Learning Liberty Life Literature Love Lying Madness Mankind Music Nature Pain Painting Passion Past Peace Perfection Pleasure Poetry Poverty Power Praise Pride Rage Revenge Running Satire Science Silence Sin Son Sorrow Soul Study Suffering Time Today Trade Truth Understanding Virtue War Water Wife Wit Writing Youth

They think too little who talk too much.

They think too little who talk too much.

Thinking, Littles, Too Much

All delays are dangerous in war.

War, Delay, Danger

'Tyrannic Love' (1669) act 1, sc. 1

I am reading Jonson's verses to the memory of Shakespeare; an insolent, sparing, and invidious panegyric.

Memories, Reading, Verses

John Dryden (1779). “The Works of the English Poets. With Prefaces, Biographical and Critical, by Samuel Johnson”, p.105

I saw myself the lambent easy light Gild the brown horror, and dispel the night.

Morning, Night, Light

John Dryden, Paul Hammond, David Hopkins (2007). “Dryden: Selected Poems”, p.458, Pearson Education

Pride - Lord of human kind

Pride, Kind, Lord

Much malice mingled with a little wit Perhaps may censure this mysterious writ.

May, Littles, Mysterious

'The Hind and the Panther' (1687) pt. 3, l. 1

Sure there is none but fears a future state; And when the most obdurate swear they do not, Their trembling hearts belie their boasting tongues.

Heart, Tongue, Eternity

John Dryden (1808). “The Works of John Dryden: Now First Collected in Eighteen Volumes”, p.437

Murder may pass unpunishd for a time, But tardy justice will oertake the crime.

Justice, May, Murder

John Dryden, “The Cock And The Fox: Or, The Tale Of The Nun's Priest”

These are the effects of doting age,--vain doubts and idle cares and over caution.

Doubt, Age, Care

John Dryden (1808). “The works of John Dryden now first collected ...”, p.426

To breed up the son to common sense is evermore the parent's least expense.

Education, Son, Common Sense

Thou strong seducer, Opportunity!

Success, Strong, Opportunity

'The Conquest of Granada' (1670) pt. 2, act 4, sc. 3

Secret guilt by silence is betrayed.

Silence, Secret, Guilt

John Dryden (1808). “The works of John Dryden: now first collected in eighteen volumes. Illustrated with notes, historical, critical, and explanatory, and a life of the author”, p.222

One cannot say he wanted wit, but rather that he was frugal of it.

Wit, Frugal, Wanted

1668 Of Ben Jonson. An Essay of Dramatic Poesy,'Shakespeare and Ben Jonson Compared'.

Criticism is now become mere hangman's work, and meddles only with the faults of authors ; nay, the critic is disgusted less with their absurdities than excellence ; and you cannot displease him more than in leaving him little room for his malice.

Leaving, Excellence, Criticism

John Dryden, John Mitford (1836). “The Works of John Dryden: In Verse and Prose, with a Life”, p.424

He who trusts a secret to his servant makes his own man his master.

Men, Secret, Secrecy

With odorous oil thy head and hair are sleek; And then thou kemb'st the tuzzes on thy cheek: Of these, my barbers take a costly care.

Hair, Oil, Care

John Dryden (1837). “The Works of John Dryden: In Verse and Prose, with a Life”, p.379

The Jews, a headstrong, moody, murmuring race.

Race, Murmuring, Headstrong

1681 Absalom and Achitophel, pt.1, l.45.

It is almost impossible to translate verbally and well at the same time; for the Latin (a most severe and compendious language) often expresses that in one word which either the barbarity or the narrowness of modern tongues cannot supply in more. ...But since every language is so full of its own proprieties that what is beautiful in one is often barbarous, nay, sometimes nonsense, in another, it would be unreasonable to limit a translator to the narrow compass of his author's words; it is enough if he choose out some expression which does not vitiate the sense.

Beautiful, Latin, Expression

"William Gilbert of Colchester". Book by P. Fleury Mottelay, 1893.

But 'tis the talent of our English nation, Still to be plotting some new reformation.

Talent, Stills, Reformation

'The Prologue at Oxford, 1680'; prologue to Nathaniel Lee 'Sophonisba' (2nd ed., 1681)

Fool, not to know that love endures no tie, And Jove but laughs at lovers' perjury.

Life, Ties, Laughing

'Palamon and Arcite' (1700) bk. 2, l. 148.

Like pilgrims to th' appointed place we tend; The World's an Inn, and Death the journey's end.

Life, Death, Journey

'Palamon and Arcite' (1700) bk. 3, l. 883

And that one hunting, which the Devil design'd For one fair female, lost him half the kind.

Women, Hunting, Design

John Dryden, C. B., Esquire Charles BATHURST (1852). “Selections from the poetry of Dryden, including his plays and translations. [The editor's preface signed: C. B., i.e. Charles Bathurst.]”, p.271

She, though in full-blown flower of glorious beauty, Grows cold even in the summer of her age.

Beauty, Summer, Flower

John Dryden (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of John Dryden (Illustrated)”, p.3032, Delphi Classics

Not Heav'n itself upon the past has pow'r; But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

Past, Hours, Pow

John Dryden (1767). “THE MISCELLANEOUS WORKS OF JOHN DRYDEN, Esq; Containing All His ORIGINAL POEMS, TALES, AND TRANSLATIONS, IN FOUR VOLUMES.: VOLUME THE SECOND”, p.364

Good Heaven, whose darling attribute we find is boundless grace, and mercy to mankind, abhors the cruel.

Grace And Mercy, Heaven, Attributes

John Dryden, Joseph Warton, John Warton (1811). “The Poetical Works of John Dryden: Containing Original Poems, Tales, and Translations”, p.187

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