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John Dryden Quotes about Life

All John Dryden 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 quotes 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

Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today: Be fair or foul or rain or shine, The joys I have possessed in spite of fate are mine. Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been has been, and I have had

Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today: Be fair or foul or rain or shine, The joys I have possessed in spite of fate are mine. Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been has been, and I have had my hour.

Inspirational, Life, Meaningful

"The Major Works".

How happy the lover, How easy his chain, How pleasing his pain, How sweet to discover He sighs not in vain.

Life, Sweet, Pain

John Dryden (1762). “The Dramatick Works of John Dryden, Esq: In Six Volumes”, p.372

Pains of love be sweeter far than all other pleasures are.

Love, Life, Breakup

'Tyrannic Love' (1669) act 4, sc. 1

Welcome, thou kind deceiver! Thou best of thieves; who, with an easy key, Dost open life, and, unperceived by us, Even steal us from ourselves.

Life, Kindness, Keys

'All for Love' (1678) act 5, sc. 1 (of Love)

Take not away the life you cannot give: For all things have an equal right to live.

Life, Giving, Equal

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.227

Happy the man, and happy he alone, he who can call today his own; he who, secure within, can say, tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.

Inspirational, Life, Being Happy

Imitation of Horace bk. 3, ode 29, l. 65 (1685)

When I consider life, it is all a cheat. Yet fooled with hope, people favor this deceit.

Life, Cheating, People

Since every man who lives is born to die, And none can boast sincere felicity, With equal mind, what happens, let us bear, Nor joy nor grieve too much for things beyond our care. Like pilgrims to the' 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

How blessed is he, who leads a country life, Unvex'd with anxious cares, and void of strife! Who studying peace, and shunning civil rage, Enjoy'd his youth, and now enjoys his age: All who deserve his love, he makes his own; And, to be lov'd himself, needs only to be known.

Life, Country, Peace

John Dryden (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of John Dryden (Illustrated)”, p.312, Delphi Classics

When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat; Yet, fooled with hope, men favour the deceit; Trust on, and think tomorrow will repay. Tomorrow's falser than the former day.

Life, Men, Thinking

John Dryden (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of John Dryden (Illustrated)”, p.2746, Delphi Classics

So softly death succeeded life in her, She did but dream of heaven, and she was there.

Life, Dream, Heaven

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.136

Love is a passion Which kindles honor into noble acts.

Love, Life, Passion

Pity melts the mind to love.

Life, Love Life, Mind

John Dryden, Paul Hammond, David Hopkins (2007). “Dryden: Selected Poems”, p.593, Pearson Education

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

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

Joy rul'd the day, and Love the night.

Life, Night, Joy

John Dryden, John Mitford (1847). “The Works of John Dryden in Verse and Prose”, p.146

When I consider life, 't is all a cheat. Yet fool'd with hope, men favour the deceit; Trust on, and think to-morrow will repay. To-morrow 's falser than the former day; Lies worse, and while it says we shall be blest With some new joys, cuts off what we possest. Strange cozenage! none would live past years again, Yet all hope pleasure in what yet remain; And from the dregs of life think to receive What the first sprightly running could not give.

Life, Running, Lying

'Aureng-Zebe' (1675) act 4, sc. 1

Of no distemper, of no blast he died, But fell like autumn fruit that mellow'd long: Even wonder'd at, because he dropp'd no sooner. Fate seem'd to wind him up for fourscore years; Yet freshly ran he on ten winters more; Till like a clock worn out with eating time, The wheels of weary life at last stood still.

Life, Fate, Autumn

"Oedipus: A Tragedy".

Dead men tell no tales.

Life, Death, Men

John Dryden (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of John Dryden (Illustrated)”, p.3334, Delphi Classics

Bankrupt of life, yet prodigal of ease.

Life, Ease, Prodigals

'Absalom and Achitophel' (1681) pt. 1, l. 165

Love taught him shame, and shame with love at strife Soon taught the sweet civilities of life.

Life, Sweet, Taught

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.458

To die is landing on some distant shore.

Life, Death, Nature

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