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John Dryden Quotes - Page 11

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

Whatever is, is in its causes just.

Whatever is, is in its causes just.

Justice, Causes

'Oedipus' (written jointly with Nathaniel Lee, q.v., 1679) act 3, sc. 1

Mankind is ever the same, and nothing lost out of nature, though everything is altered.

Lost, Mankind, Altered

John Dryden, Keith Walker (2003). “The Major Works”, p.563, Oxford University Press, USA

There is an inimitable grace in Virgil's words, and in them principally consists that beauty which gives so inexpressible a pleasure to him who best understands their force. This diction of his, I must once again say, is never to be copied; and since it cannot, he will appear but lame in the best translation.

Giving, Grace, Diction

John Dryden (1866). “Poetical Works: With a Memoir”, p.129

Repentance is the virtue of weak minds.

Mind, Virtue, Weak

'The Indian Emperor' (1665) act 3, sc. 1

So poetry, which is in Oxford made An art, in London only is a trade.

Art, Oxford, London

'Prologue to the University of Oxon...at the Acting of The Silent Woman' (1673)

The people's prayer, the glad diviner's theme, The young men's vision, and the old men's dream!

Dream, Prayer, Men

'Absalom and Achitophel' (1681) pt. 1, l. 238

I trade both with the living and the dead, for the enrichment of our native language.

Life, Native Language, Trade

John Dryden (1988). “The Works of John Dryden, Volume V: Poems, 1697”, p.336, Univ of California Press

The gods, (if gods to goodness are inclined If acts of mercy touch their heavenly mind), And, more than all the gods, your generous heart, Conscious of worth, requite its own desert!

Heart, Mind, Desert

John Dryden (1808). “The Works of John Dryden Now First Collected ...”, p.255

Drinking is the soldier's pleasure.

Drinking, Army, Soldier

'Alexander's Feast' (1697) l. 57

Woman's honor is nice as ermine; it will not bear a soil.

Nice, Honor, Soil

Democracy is essentially anti-authoritarian--that is, it not only demands the right but imposes the responsibility of thinking for ourselves.

Responsibility, Thinking, Democracy

Discover the opinion of your enemies, which is commonly the truest; for they will give you no quarter, and allow nothing to complaisance.

Giving, Enemy, Opinion

John Dryden (1808). “Prose works”, p.474

All habits gather by unseen degrees.

Unseen, Degrees, Habit

"Wit for Wisdom". Book by Kevin Solway, www.theabsolute.net.

Is it not evident, in these last hundred years (when the Study of Philosophy has been the business of all the Virtuosi in Christendome) that almost a new Nature has been revealed to us? that more errours of the School have been detected, more useful Experiments in Philosophy have been made, more Noble Secrets in Opticks, Medicine, Anatomy, Astronomy, discover'd, than in all those credulous and doting Ages from Aristotle to us? So true it is that nothing spreads more fast than Science, when rightly and generally cultivated.

Philosophy, School, Science

John Dryden (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of John Dryden (Illustrated)”, p.4055, Delphi Classics

Learn to write well, or not to write at all.

Writing, Learning, Wells

John Dryden (1855). “The Poetical Works of John Dryden”, p.93

A knock-down argument; 'tis but a word and a blow.

Blow, Argument

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.19

For lawful power is still superior found, When long driven back, at length it stands the ground.

Long, Driven, Length

1681 Absalom and Achitophel, pt.1, l.1024-5.

O freedom, first delight of human kind!

Freedom, Delight, Firsts

John Dryden, Joseph Warton, John Warton (1811). “The Poetical Works of John Dryden: Containing Original Poems, Tales and Translations”, p.468

I strongly wish for what I faintly hope; like the daydreams of melancholy men, I think and think in things impossible, yet love to wander in that golden maze.

Men, Thinking, Wish

'The Rival Ladies' (1664) act 3, sc. 1

Sweet is pleasure after pain.

Sweet, Pain, Pleasure

'Alexander's Feast' (1697) l. 57

Thus all below is strength, and all above is grace.

Strength, Being Strong, Strong

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.135

Order is the greatest grace.

Order, Grace

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.417

Rhyme is the rock on which thou art to wreck.

Art, Rocks, Wrecks

'Absalom and Achitophel' (1681) pt. 2, l. 486

not judging truth to be in nature better than falsehood, but setting a value upon both according to interest.

Judging, Interest, Settings

Plutarch, John Dryden (1859). “Plutarch's Lives”, p.110

All the learn'd are cowards by profession.

Coward, Profession

1678 All for Love, or The World Well Lost, act 5.

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