Geoffrey Chaucer Quotes

175 Sourced Quotes

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
Somwhat he lipsed, for his wantownesse,
To make his Englissh sweete upon his tonge.

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

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

Geoffrey Chaucer
For gold in phisik is a cordial,
Therefore he lovede gold in special.

Geoffrey Chaucer
She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous
Kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.
Of smale houndes hadde she that she fedde
With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel-breed.

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

Geoffrey Chaucer
He helde about him alway, out of drede,
A world of folke.

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
What thyng we may nat lightly have, Thereafter wol we crie al day and crave.

Geoffrey Chaucer
But love a womman that she woot it nought,
And she wol quyte it that thow shalt nat fele;
Unknowe, unkist, and lost, that is unsought.

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

Geoffrey Chaucer
O little booke, thou art so unconning,
How darst thou put thy-self in prees for drede?

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
Trouthe is the hyeste thyng that men may kepe.

Geoffrey Chaucer
But Christ's lore and his apostles twelve,
He taught and first he followed it himself.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Soun is noght but air ybroken,
And every speche that is spoken,
Loud or privee, foul or fair,
In his substaunce is but air;
For as flaumbe is but lighted smoke,
Right so soun is air ybroke.

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
He loved chivalrye Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye.

Geoffrey Chaucer
O yonge, fresshe folkes, he or she,
In which that love up groweth with youre age, Repeyreth hom fro worldly vanyte.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Ther n' is no werkman whatever he be,
That may both werken wel and hastily. 4
This wol be done at leisure parfitly.

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
Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
And yet he semed bisier than he was.

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
And for ther is so gret diversite
In Englissh and in writyng of oure tonge,
So prey I God that non myswrite the,
Ne the mysmetre for defaute of tonge;
And red wherso thow be, or elles songe,
That thow be understonde, God I biseche!

Geoffrey Chaucer
This world nys but a thurghfare ful of wo,
And we been pilgrymes, passing to and fro.
Deeth is an ende of every worldly soore.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Forth, pilgrim, forth! Forth, beste, out of thy stal!
Know thy contree, look up, thank God of al;
Hold the heye wey, and lat thy gost thee lede,
And trowth thee shal delivere, it is no drede.

Geoffrey Chaucer
And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn, Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn.

Geoffrey Chaucer
What is this world? what asketh men to have?
Now with his love, now in his colde grave
Allone, withouten any compaignye.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Or as an ook comth of a litel spir,
So thorugh this lettre, which that she hym sente,
Encressen gan desir, of which he brente.

Geoffrey Chaucer