Geoffrey Chaucer Quotes

175 Sourced Quotes

That he is gentil that dooth gentil dedis.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Men sholde wedden after hir estat,
For youthe and elde is often at debat.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Whoso will pray, he must fast and be clean, And fat his soul, and make his body lean.

Geoffrey Chaucer
May, with alle thy floures and thy grene, Welcome be thou, faire, fresshe May.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Certes, they been lyk to houndes, for an hound whan he comth by the roser, or by other bushes, though he may nat pisse, yet wole he heve up his leg and make a contenaunce to pisse.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Yet do not miss the moral, my good men. For Saint Paul says that all that's written well Is written down some useful truth to tell. Then take the wheat and let the chaff lie still.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Full many a maiden, bright in bower Did long for him for paramour When they were best asleep; But chaste he was, no lecher sure, And sweet as is the bramble-flower That beareth a rich red hepe.

Geoffrey Chaucer
'By God,' quod he, 'for pleynly, at a word,
Thy drasty rymyng is nat worth a toord!'

Geoffrey Chaucer
Mordre wol out, certeyn, it wol nat faille.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Now welcome, somer, with thy sonne softe,
That hast this wintres wedres overshake.

Geoffrey Chaucer
This noble ensample to his shepe he yaf, —
That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught.

Geoffrey Chaucer
For the proverbe seith that "manye smale maken a greet."

Geoffrey Chaucer
Of all the floures in the mede,
Than love I most these floures white and rede,
Soch that men callen daisies in our toun.

Geoffrey Chaucer
"Tehee!" quod she, and clapte the wyndow to.

Geoffrey Chaucer
"My lige lady, generally," quod he,
"Wommen desiren have sovereynetee As well over hir housbond as hir love."

Geoffrey Chaucer
The tyme, that may not sojourne But goth, and never may retourne, As water that down runneth ay, But never drope retourne may; Ther may no-thing as tyme endure, Metal, nor erthely creature; For alle thing it fret, and shal: The tyme eek, that chaungeth al, And all doth waxe and fostred be, And alle thing destroyeth he.

Geoffrey Chaucer
The smylere with the knyf under the cloke.

Geoffrey Chaucer
That well by reason men it call may
The daisie, or els the eye of the day,
The emprise, and floure of floures all.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Curteis he was, lowely, and servysable,
And carf biforn his fader at the table.

Geoffrey Chaucer
What is better than wisdom? Woman. And what is better than a good woman? Nothing.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Love is a thyng as any spirit free.
Wommen, of kynde, desiren libertee,
And nat to been constreyned as a thral;
And so doon men, if I sooth seyen shal.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Yblessed be god that I have wedded fyve!
Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shal.
For sothe, I wol nat kepe me chaast in al.
Whan myn housbonde is fro the world ygon,
Som Cristen man shall wedde me anon.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Love wol nat been constreyned by maistrye.
When maistrie comth, the God of Love anon
Beteth his wynges, and farewel, he is gon!
Love is a thyng as any spirit free.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Hard is the herte that loveth nought In May.

Geoffrey Chaucer
But the Troian gestes, as they felle,
In Omer, or in Dares, or in Dite,
Whoso that kan may rede hem as they write.

Geoffrey Chaucer