Month: November 2024

“Where Love reigns, disturbing Jealousy doth call himself Affection’s sentinel; gives false alarms, suggesteth mutiny, and in a peaceful hour doth cry, ‘kill, kill;” distempering gentle Love in his desire.” – William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

“Things out of hope are compass’d oft with venturing, chiefly in love, whose leave exceeds commission: affection faints not like a pale-fac’d coward.” – William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

“O learn to love; the lesson is but plain, and, once made perfect, never lost again.” – William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

“Affection is a coal that must be cool’d; else, suffer’d, it will set the heart on fire: the sea hath bounds, but deep desire hath none.” – William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

“Upon the earth’s increase why shouldst thou feed, unless the earth with thy increase be fed? By law of Nature thou are bound to breed, that thine may live, when thou thyself art dead; and so in spite of death thou dost survive, in that thy likeness still is left alive.” – William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

“Torches are made to light, jewels to wear, dainties to taste, fresh beauty for the use, herbs for their smell, and sappy plants to bear; things growing to themselves are growth’s abuse.” – William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

“Make use of time, beauty within itself should not be wasted: fair flowers that are not gather’d in their prime rot and consume themselves in little time.” – William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

“No honest poet can ever feel quite sure of the permanent value of what he has written. He may have wasted his time and messed up his life for nothing.” – T. S. Eliot, “The Art of Poetry,” Paris Review

“After a period of getting away from the traditional forms, comes a period of curiosity in making new experiments with traditional forms. This can produce very good work if what has happened in between has made a difference: when it’s not merely going back, but taking up an old form, which has been out of use for a time, and making something new with it.” – T. S. Eliot, “The Art of Poetry,” Paris Review

“It’s not wise to violate rules until you know how to observe them.” – T. S. Eliot, “The Art of Poetry,” Paris Review

“Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken; and he wants wit that wants resolved will to learn his wit to exchange the bad for better.” – William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona 2.6

“Upon a homely object love can wink.” – William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona 1.4

“Maids, in modesty, say No to that which they would have the profferer construe Ay.” – William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona 1.2 (emphasis in original)

“Fire that is closest kept burns most of all.” – William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona 1.2

“The understanding of art depends finally upon one’s willingness to extend one’s humanity and one’s knowledge of human life.” – Ralph Ellison, “The Art of Fiction,” Paris Review

“As the most forward bud is eaten by the canker ere it blow, even so by love the young and tender wit is turn’d to folly; blasting in the bud, losing his verdure even in the prime, and all the fair effects of future hopes.” – William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona 1.1

“To be in love, where scorn is bought with groans; coy looks with heart-sore sighs; one fading moment’s mirth with twenty watchful, tedious nights: if haply won, perhaps a hapless gain; if lost, why then a grievous labour won; however, but a folly bought with wit, or else a wit by folly vanquished.” – William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona 1.1

“Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits.” – William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona 1.1

“Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devis’d at first to keep the strong in awe.” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 5.3

“An honest tale speeds best being plainly told.” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 4.4

“Why should calamity be full of words? Windy attorneys to their client woes, airy succeeders of intestate joys, poor breathing orators of miseries let them have scope: though what they do help nothing else, yet do they ease the heart.” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 4.4

“Fearful commenting is leaden servitor to dull delay; delay leads impotent and snail-pac’d beggary.” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 4.4

“When clouds are seen, wise men put on their cloaks; when great leaves fall, then winter is at hand; when the sun sets, who doth not look for night? Untimely storms make men expect a dearth.” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 2.3

“Woe to that land that’s govern’d by a child!” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 2.3

“Sorrow breaks seasons and reposing hours, makes the night morning, and the noontide night.” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 1.4

“Talkers are no good doers.” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 1.3

“They that stand high have many blasts to shake them; and if they fall they dash themselves to pieces.” – William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Richard III 1.3

“Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind; the thief doth fear each bush an officer.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry VI – Third Part 5.6

“Wise men ne’er sit and wail their loss, but cheerly seek how to redress their harms.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry VI – Third Part 5.4

“When the fox hath once got in his nose, he’ll soon find means to make the body follow.” – William Shakespeare, King Henry VI – Third Part 4.7