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Be slow to resolve, but quick in performance.

John Dryden

Great souls forgive not injuries till time has put their enemies within their power, that they may show forgiveness is their own.
JOHN DRYDEN

Enemy Forgiveness Greatness Injury Power Soul Time
Fowls, by winter forced, forsake the floods, and wing their hasty flight to happier lands.
JOHN DRYDEN

Force Happiness Land Winter
Reason to rule, mercy to forgive: The first is law, the last prerogative. Life is an adventure in forgiveness.
JOHN DRYDEN

Adventure First Forgiveness Reason Rule
Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age.
JOHN DRYDEN

Absence Age Love Time
The conscience of a people is their power.
JOHN DRYDEN

Conscience People Power
So softly death succeeded life in her, She did but dream of heaven, and she was there.
JOHN DRYDEN

Death Dreams Heaven Herself Life Success
The secret pleasure of a generous act Is the great mind’s great bribe.
JOHN DRYDEN

Act Generous Greatness Pleasure Secret
Virtue in distress, and vice in triumph make atheists of mankind.
JOHN DRYDEN

Kind Man Vice Virtue
They think too little who talk too much.
JOHN DRYDEN

Talk Thinking
Since a true knowledge of nature gives us pleasure, a lively imitation of it, either in poetry or painting, must produce a much greater; for both these arts are not only true imitations of nature, but of the best nature.
JOHN DRYDEN

Best Give Up Knowledge Nature Production True
All empire is no more than power in trust.
JOHN DRYDEN

Empire Power Trust
There is a proud modesty in merit.
JOHN DRYDEN

Advantage Modesty Proud
For they can conquer who believe they can.
JOHN DRYDEN

Believe Conquer
O freedom, first delight of human kind!
JOHN DRYDEN

Delight Freedom Human Kind
While I am compassed round With mirth, my soul lies hid in shades of grief, Whence, like the bird of night, with half-shut eyes, She peeps, and sickens at the sight of day.
JOHN DRYDEN

Day Eyes Round Shade Sight Soul
Self-defense is Nature’s eldest law.
JOHN DRYDEN

Defense Law Nature
Virgil and Horace were the severest writers of the severest age.
JOHN DRYDEN

Age Writing
The bravest men are subject most to chance.
JOHN DRYDEN

Brave Chance Man Subject
He who trusts secrets to a servant makes him his master.
JOHN DRYDEN

Himself Master Secret Servant Trust
The scum that rises upmost, when the nation boils.
JOHN DRYDEN

Boil Nature Rise
Freedom which in no other land will thrive, Freedom an English subject’s sole prerogative.
JOHN DRYDEN

Freedom Subject Thrive
Much malice mingled with a little wit Perhaps may censure this mysterious writ.
JOHN DRYDEN

Infidelity Mysterious Thinking
For what can power give more than food and drink, To live at ease, and not be bound to think?
JOHN DRYDEN

Bound Drink Food Live Power Thinking
Every language is so full of its own proprieties that what is beautiful in one is often barbarous, nay, sometimes nonsense, in another.
JOHN DRYDEN

Beautiful Language Oneself
Sculptors are obliged to follow the manners of the painters, and to make many ample folds, which are unsufferable hardness, and more like a rock than a natural garment.
JOHN DRYDEN

Follow Natural Obligation Paint Rock Sculptor
Death in itself is nothing; but we fear to be we know not what, we know not where.
JOHN DRYDEN

Death Fear Known
Fattened in vice, so callous and so gross, he sins and sees not, senseless of his loss.
JOHN DRYDEN

Himself Loss See Vice

Be slow to resolve, but quick in performance.

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Be slow to resolve, but quick in performance.

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