Authors:

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

John Dryden Quotes - Page 8

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

Griefs assured are felt before they come.

Griefs assured are felt before they come.

Grief, Assured, Felt

Old age creeps on us ere we think it nigh.

Thinking, Age, Creeps

Juvenal, John Dryden, Nahum Tate, Persius, Richard Duke (1713). “The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis: and of Aulus Persius Flaccus”, p.150

Nothing to build, and all things to destroy.

Zeal, All Things

John Dryden (1701). “Poems on Various Occasions: And Translations from Several Authors”, p.10

What passion cannot music raise and quell!

Music, Passion, Piano

A Song for St. Cecilia's Day st. 2 (1687)

Mere poets are sottish as mere drunkards are, who live in a continual mist, without seeing or judging anything clearly. A man should be learned in several sciences, and should have a reasonable, philosophical and in some measure a mathematical head, to be a complete and excellent poet.

Philosophical, Learning, Math

John Dryden, George Saintsbury, Sir Walter Scott (1892). “The Works of John Dryden: Poetical works”

Love is a passion Which kindles honor into noble acts.

Love, Life, Passion

But Shakespeare's magic could not copied be; Within that circle none durst walk but he.

Circles, Magic, Walks

John Dryden (1870). “The Poetical Works of John Dryden”, p.400

The thought of being nothing after death is a burden insupportable to a virtuous man.

Men, Afterlife, Burden

John Dryden (1859). “The poetical works of John Dryden”, p.132

Great souls forgive not injuries till time has put their enemies within their power, that they may show forgiveness is their own.

Forgiveness, Soul, Forgiving

John Dryden (1882). “Dramatic works”

For what can power give more than food and drink, To live at ease, and not be bound to think?

Thinking, Giving, Ease

John Dryden (1870). “The Poetical Works of John Dryden”, p.133

Luxurious kings are to their people lost, They live like drones, upon the public cost.

Kings, People, Drones

John Dryden, Sir Walter Scott (1808). “The Works of John Dryden,: The life of John Dryden”, p.228

If thou dost still retain the same ill habits, the same follies, too, still thou art bound to vice, and still a slave.

Art, Vices, Slave

Present joys are more to flesh and blood Than a dull prospect of a distant good.

Happiness, Determination, Blood

'The Hind and the Panther' (1687) pt. 3, l. 364

Want is a bitter and a hateful good, Because its virtues are not understood; Yet many things, impossible to thought, Have been by need to full perfection brought. The daring of the soul proceeds from thence, Sharpness of wit, and active diligence; Prudence at once, and fortitude it gives; And, if in patience taken, mends our lives.

Taken, Giving, Perfection

John Dryden (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of John Dryden (Illustrated)”, p.504, Delphi Classics

Some of our philosophizing divines have too much exalted the faculties of our souls, when they have maintained that by their force mankind has been able to find out God.

Soul, Able, Too Much

John Dryden, Paul Hammond, David Hopkins (2007). “Dryden: Selected Poems”, p.261, Pearson Education

Death ends our woes, and the kind grave shuts up the mournful scene.

Death, Woe, Kind

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.475

He trudged along unknowing what he sought, And whistled as he went, for want of thought.

Want, Unknowing

'Cymon and Iphigenia' (1700) l. 84

Ev'n wit's a burthen, when it talks too long.

Long, Wit

John Dryden, Joseph Warton, John Warton (1811). “The Poetical Works of John Dryden: Containing Original Poems, Tales and Translations”, p.353

The wretched have no friends.

Friends, No Friends, Wretched

John Bell, Joseph Addison, Michael Arne, John Banks, John Brown (1792). “British Theatre: Isabella, or, The fatal marriage”

The poorest of the sex have still an itch To know their fortunes, equal to the rich. The dairy-maid inquires, if she shall take The trusty tailor, and the cook forsake.

Sex, Curiosity, Maids

John Dryden, Joseph Warton, John Warton (1856). “The Poetical Works of John Dryden, Containing the Original Poems, Tales, and Translations”, p.404

It is sufficient to say, according to the proverb, that here is God's plenty.

Plenty, Sufficient

Fables Ancient and Modern preface (1700)

Virgil is so exact in every word, that none can be changed but for a worse; nor any one removed from its place, but the harmony will be altered. He pretends sometimes to trip; but it is only to make you think him in danger of a fall, when he is most secure.

Fall, Thinking, Make You Think

Charles-Alphonse Dufresnoy, Sir Joshua Reynolds, John Dryden, Alexander Pope (1783). “The art of painting of Charles Alphonse Du Fresnoy”, p.176

Wit will shine Through the harsh cadence of a rugged line.

Shining, Lines, Cadence

"To the Memory of Mr. Oldham" l. 15 (1684)

To so perverse a sex all grace is vain.

Sex, Grace, Vain

Mr. Joseph Trapp, Mr. John Dryden, Edmund Smith, Mr. John Crown, Colley Cibber (1721). “A Select Collection of the Best Modern English Plays: Vol. III.”, p.29

The true Amphitryon is the Amphitryon where we dine.

Dine

"Amphitryon". Play by John Dryden, 1690.

You May Also Like: