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William Cowper Quotes

All Quotes Age Art Children Church Country Death Earth Evil Friendship Gardening Giving God Grace Happiness Heart Heaven Home Humanity Inspirational Joy Judging Judgment Kissing Knowledge Liberty Life Loss Love Lying Manners Mercy Music Nature Pain Pleasure Poetry Poverty Prayer Preaching Pride Purpose Reading Religion Retirement Running Sin Skins Slavery Solitude Son Soul Sports Spring Time Truth Virtue War Water Weed Winter Wisdom Wit

Knowledge is proud that it knows so much; wisdom is humble that it knows no more.

Knowledge is proud that it knows so much; wisdom is humble that it knows no more.

Inspirational, Life, Motivational

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sovereign will. Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

Courage, Failure, Moving

Olney Hymns "Light Shining Out of Darkness" l. 1 (1779)

Existence is a strange bargain. Life owes us little; we owe it everything. The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose.

Life, Happiness, Littles

Trials make the promise sweet, Trials give new life to prayer; Trials bring me to His feet, Lay me low, and keep me there.

Sweet, Prayer, Feet

William Cowper (1851). “The Works of William Cowper: His Life, Letters, and Poems. Now First Completed by the Introduction of Cowper's Private Correspondence”, p.664

They whom truth and wisdom lead, can gather honey from a weed.

Weed, Wisdom, Truth

William Cowper, James Thomson (1832). “The Works of Cowper and Thompson: Including Many Letters and Poems Never Before Published in this Country. With a New and Interesting Memoir of the Life of Thomson”, p.124

Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees.

Prayer, Devil, Knees

William Cowper, “Olney Hymn 29: Exhortation To Prayer”

No traveler e'er reached that blest abode who found not thorns and briers in his road.

Acceptance, Thorns, Found

Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.

Life, Giving, Inspire

The Task bk. 2 "The Timepiece" l. 606 (1785) See Behn 1

Grief is itself a medicine.

Death, Pain, Grief

Charity

God made bees, and bees made honey, God made man, and man made money, Pride made the devil, and the devil made sin; So God made a cole-pit to put the devil in.

Pride, Men, Devil

The path of sorrow, and that path alone, leads to the land where sorrow is unknown.

Sadness, Land, Sorrow

William Cowper (1835). “The Poems of William Cowper ...”, p.386

Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed.

Wisdom, Relaxation, Mind

William Cowper, James Montgomery (1825). “Poems of William Cowper ... With an introductory essay by James Montgomery ... Second edition”, p.240

We are never more in danger than when we think ourselves most secure, nor in reality more secure than when we seem to be most in danger.

Reality, Thinking, Danger

William Cowper (1862). “Letters of William Cowper; being a selection from his correspondence: with a sketch of his life, and biographical notices of his correspondents. [With a portrait.]”, p.215

When nations are to perish in their sins, 'tis in the Church the leprosy begins.

Church, Leprosy, Sin

William Cowper (1824). “Poems of William Cowper, Esq”, p.57

My soul is sick with every day's report of wrong and outrage with which earth is filled.

Sick, Soul, Earth

William Cowper (1855). “Thoughts on War and Warriors; extracted from the poetical writings of William Cowper”, p.15

Knowledge and wisdom, far from being one, Have oft-times no connection. Knowledge dwells In heads replete with thoughts of other men; Wisdom in minds attentive to their own.

Knowledge, Men, Mind

'The Task' (1785) bk. 6 'The Winter Walk at Noon' l. 89

Absence of proof is not proof of absence.

Inspirational, Motivational, Suicide

Man may dismiss compassion from his heart, but God never will.

God, Heart, Men

William Cowper, “The Task: Book Vi. -- The Winter Walk At Noon”

The Spirit breathes upon the Word and brings the truth to sight.

Sight, Spirit, Breathe

William Cowper (1855). “The Works of William Cowper: His Life, Letters, and Poems : Now First Completed by the Introduction of Cowper's Private Correspondence”, p.677

But oars alone can ne'er prevail To reach the distant coast; The breath of Heaven must swell the sail, Or all the toil is lost.

Heaven, Toil, Lost

William Cowper (1822). “The poems of William Cowper”, p.226

The bird that flutters least is longest on the wing.

Wings, Bird, Endurance

William Cowper (1856). “The task, Table talk, and other poems: With critical observations of various authors on his genius and character, and notes, critical and illustrative”, p.334

Some people are more nice than wise.

Wise, Wisdom, Nice

William Cowper, Robert Southey, William Harvey (1835). “The Works of William Cowper: Comprising His Poems, Correspondence, and Translations. With a Life of the Author”, p.213

Alas! if my best Friend, who laid down His life for me, were to remember all the instances in which I have neglected Him, and to plead them against me in judgment, where should I hide my guilty head in the day of recompense? I will pray, therefore, for blessings on my friends, even though they cease to be so, and upon my enemies, though they continue such.

Forgiveness, Blessing, Enemy

William Cowper (1835). “The Works of William Cowper: The life of William Cowper. Letters, 1765-1783”

Restraining prayer, we cease to fight; Prayer keeps the Christian's armor bright; And Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees.

Christian, Prayer, Fighting

William Cowper, “Olney Hymn 29: Exhortation To Prayer”

Ceremony leads her bigots forth, prepared to fight for shadows of no worth. While truths, on which eternal things depend, can hardly find a single friend.

Truth, Fighting, Shadow

William Cowper (1835). “The Poems of William Cowper ...”, p.65

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