17th-century Author Quotes

Molière

Jonathan Swift

John Milton

Charles Perrault

Jean Racine

Jean de La Fontaine

Pierre Corneille

Negligence is the rust of the soul that corrodes through all her best resolves.

It is a hard and nice subject for a man to speak of himself: it grates his own heart to say anything of disparagement, and the reader's ear to hear anything of praise from him.

Thrice happy time,
Best portion of the various year, in which
Nature rejoiceth, smiling on her works
Lovely, to full perception wrought!

We are not indeed obliged always to speak what we think, but we must always think what we speak.

Anne-Thérèse de Marguenat de Courcelles

Tis a question whether adversity or prosperity makes the most poets.

George Farquhar

We are not masters of our own affections; our inclinations dailyalter: now we love pleasure, and anon we shall dote on business. Human frailty will have it so, and who can help it?

George Etherege

Thou that swing'st upon the waving haire Of some well-filled Oaten Beard, Drunke ev'ry night with a Delicious teare, Dropt thee from Heav'n, where now th'art! The joys of Earth and Ayre are thine intire, That with thy feet and wings dost hop and flye; And when thy Poppy workes, thou dost retire To thy carv'd Acorn-bed to lye.

Richard Lovelace

It requires infinitely a greater genius to make love, than to make war.

Ninon de Lenclos

Some write their wrongs in marble: he more just,
Stoop'd down serene and wrote them in the dust,—
Trod under foot, the sport of every wind,
Swept from the earth and blotted from his mind.
There, secret in the grave, he bade them lie,
And grieved they could not 'scape the Almighty eye.

Oh, the gallant fisher's life,
It is the best of any
'Tis full of pleasure, void of strife,
And 'tis beloved of many.

Our most provident and glorious Creator so furnished countries with several commodities that amongst all there might be sociable conversation; and, one standing in need of the other, all might be combined in a common league, and exhibit mutual succors. This abundance of all countries in everything, and defect of every country in most things, maintaineth in all regions and every province a most strict combination. So that, as in the body of the little world, the head cannot say to the foot, nor the foot to the head, 'I stand in no need of thee:' so, in the body of the great world, Europe cannot say to Asia, nor Asia to Africa, 'I want not your commodities, nor am defective in that of which thou boastest of abundance.'

No one is satisfied with his fortune,
nor dissatisfied with his intellect

Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières

Hark! She is called, the parting hour is come. Take thy farewell, poor world! Heaven must go home....

Richard Crashaw

It is not very difficult, after all that has been said, to answer the famous question, whether there are true atheists in the world. We can answer with a short sentence: There are some who are so by their heart; but there cannot be any who are so by their spirit.

What though the sea be calm? trust to the shore, Ships have been drown'd, where late they danc'd before.

A quiet mediocrity is still to be preferred before a troubled superfluity.

Fear, guilt, despair, and moon-struck phrensy rush
On voluntary death: the wise and brave,
When the fierce storms of fortune round 'em roar,
Combat the billows with redoubled force:
Then, if they perish ere the port is gain'd,
They sink with decent pride; and from the deep
Honour retrieves them, bright as rising stars.

And one false step entirely damns her fame.
In vain with tears the loss she may deplore,
In vain look back on what she was before;
She sets like stars that fall, to rise no more.

E'er time and place were, time and place were not, When Primitive Nothing something straight begot, Then all proceeded from the great united — What.

John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester

Under this stone, Reader, survey
Dead Sir John Vanbrugh's house of clay.
Lie heavy on him, Earth! for he
Laid many heavy loads on thee!

When I behold the heavens as in their prime,
And then the earth (though old) still clad in green,
The stones and trees, insensible of time,
Nor age nor wrinkle on their front are seen

Anne Bradstreet

He that will live in this World, must be endu'd with the three rare Qualities of Dissimulation, Equivocation, and mental Reservation.

The radiant sun sends from above ten thousand blessings down, nor is he set so high for show alone.

George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne

Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters. The elder was so much like her, both in looks and character, that whoever saw the daughter saw the mother.

Charles Perrault

The sea never resting, but perpetually winning land in one place and losing in another, doth show what may be done in length of time by a continual operation, not subject unto ceasing or intermission.

Gabriel Plattes