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It is less dishonor to hear imperfectly than to speak imperfectly. The ears are excused; the understanding is not.

Ben Jonson

A thankful man owes a courtesy ever; the unthankful but when he needs it.
BEN JONSON

Gratitude Men Needs
It is the highest of earthly honors to be descended from the great and good. They alone cry out against a noble ancestry who have none of their own.
BEN JONSON

Ancestry Honor Noble
Affliction teacheth a wicked person sometime to pray; prosperity never.
BEN JONSON

Affliction Person Prayer Wicked
O! How vain and vile a passion is this fear! What base uncomely things it makes men do.
BEN JONSON

Fear Men Passion
Who falls for love of God, shall rise a star.
BEN JONSON

Fall Love Stars
Soul of the age! The applause! delight! The wonder of our stage!
BEN JONSON

Age Delight Soul Wonder
Cut Men’s throats with whisperings.
BEN JONSON

Cutting Men Whispering
For whose sake, henceforth, all his vows be such, As what he loves may never like too much.
BEN JONSON

Love May Sake
The world knows only two, that’s Rome and I.
BEN JONSON

Conceited Fools Rome Two
Whom hatred frights, let him not dream of sovereignty.
BEN JONSON

Dream Hate Hatred
A lily of a day Is fairer far in May, Although it fall and die that night, It was the plant and flower of light. In small proportions we just beauties see, And in short measures life may perfect be.
BEN JONSON

Die Fall Flower Night Proportion
Woman, the more careful she is about her face, the more careless about her house.
BEN JONSON

Faces Home House
I have discovered that a famed familiarity in great ones is a note of certain usurpation on the less; for great and popular men feign themselves to be servants to others to make those slaves to them.
BEN JONSON

Men Popularity Slave
The dignity of truth is lost with much protesting.
BEN JONSON

Dignity Life Losing
Queen and huntress, chaste and fair Now the sun is laid to sleep, Seated in thy silver chair, State in wonted manner keep: Hesperus entreats thy light Goddess, excellently bright.
BEN JONSON

Chair Light Queens Seated Sleep
He that departs with his own honesty For Vulgar , doth it too dearly buy.
BEN JONSON

Honesty Vulgar
For he that once is good, is ever great.
BEN JONSON

Good Greatness Once
Follow a shadow, it still flies you, Seem to fly, it will pursue: So court a mistress, she denies you; Let her alone, she will court you. Say are not women truly, then, Styled but the shadows of us men?
BEN JONSON

Men Mistress Shadow
Force works on servile natures, not the free.
BEN JONSON

Force Free Nature Servile
Rich apparel has strange virtues; it makes him that hath it without means esteemed for an excellent wit; he that enjoys it with means puts the world in remembrance of his means.
BEN JONSON

Mean Remembrance Rich World
To struggle when hope is banished! To live when life’s salt is gone! To dwell in a dream that’s vanished- To endure, and go calmly on!
BEN JONSON

Dream Life Struggle Vanish
Many punishments sometimes, and in some cases, as much discredit a prince as many funerals a physician.
BEN JONSON

Funeral Physicians Punishment
O, for an engine, to keep back all clocks, or make the sun forget his motion!
BEN JONSON

Forget Sun Time
Tis no sin love’s fruits to steal; But the sweet thefts to reveal; To be taken, to be seen, These have crimes accounted been.
BEN JONSON

Fruit Sweet Taken
Good men are the stars, the planets of the ages wherein they live, and illustrate the times.
BEN JONSON

Good Time Illustrate Men Stars
I perceive affection makes a fool Of any man too much the father.
BEN JONSON

Father Men Parent
Nor shall our cups make any guilty men; But at our parting, we will be, as when We innocently met.
BEN JONSON

Cup Drinking Men

It is less dishonor to hear imperfectly than to speak imperfectly. The ears are excused; the understanding is not.

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It is less dishonor to hear imperfectly than to speak imperfectly. The ears are excused; the understanding is not.

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Popular Authors

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