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Confound these ancestors… They’ve stolen our best ideas!

Ben Jonson

To the old, long life and treasure; To the young, all health and pleasure.
BEN JONSON

Long Pleasure Treasure
What excellent fools religion makes of men.
BEN JONSON

Men Religion Religious
Wine it is the milk of Venus, And the poet’s horse accounted: Ply it and you all are mounted.
BEN JONSON

Horse Plies Wine
Let argument bear no unmusical sound.
BEN JONSON

Argument Bears Sound
It is a note Of upstart greatness to observe and watch For these poor trifles, which the noble mind Neglects and scorns.
BEN JONSON

Greatness Mind Scorn Watches
Spread yourself upon his bosom publicly, whose heart you would eat in private.
BEN JONSON

Heart Hypocrisy Spread
The two chief things that give a man reputation in counsel, are the opinion of his honesty, and the opinion of his wisdom; the authority of those two will persuade.
BEN JONSON

Honesty Men Persuade Simple Two Wisdom
Truth is man’s proper good, and the only immortal thing was given to our mortality to use.
BEN JONSON

Men Truth Use
… the best pilots have need of mariners, besides sails, anchor and other tackle.
BEN JONSON

Anchors Needs Sea
True melancholy breeds your perfect fine wit.
BEN JONSON

Fine Melancholy Perfect Wit
Silence in woman is like speech in man.
BEN JONSON

Men Silence Speech
They, who know no evil, will suspect none.
BEN JONSON

Evil Knows Suspect
That old bald cheater, Time.
BEN JONSON

Bald Cheater Old Time
Peace is never more than one thought away.
BEN JONSON

Away Harmony More Peace
All discourses but my own afflict me; they seem harsh, impertinent, and irksome
BEN JONSON

Discourse Harsh Speech
Man and wife make one fool.
BEN JONSON

Marriage Men Wife
A good poet’s made as well as born.
BEN JONSON

Born Made Poet
He who is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.
BEN JONSON

Art Fool Inspirational
A good king is a public servant.
BEN JONSON

Good King Kings Servant
No glass renders a man’s form or likeness so true as his speech.
BEN JONSON

Glasses Men Speech
Force works on servile natures, not the free.
BEN JONSON

Force Free Nature Servile
Calumnies are answered best with silence.
BEN JONSON

Advice Silence
Language most shows a man, speak that I may see thee.
BEN JONSON

Leadership May Men
There is no greater hell than to be a prisoner of fear.
BEN JONSON

Fear Hell No Prisoner
The world knows only two, that’s Rome and I.
BEN JONSON

Conceited Fools Rome Two
Of all wild beasts preserve me from a tyrant; and of all tame a flatterer.
BEN JONSON

Beast Flattery Tyrant
Mischiefs feed / Like beasts, till they be fat, and then they bleed.
BEN JONSON

Beast Fats Mischief

Confound these ancestors… They’ve stolen our best ideas!

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Confound these ancestors… They’ve stolen our best ideas!

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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