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Men’s virtues I have commended as freely as I have taxed their crimes.

John Dryden

Love and Time with reverence use, Treat them like a parting friend: Nor the golden gifts refuse Which in youth sincere they send: For each year their price is more, And they less simple than before.
JOHN DRYDEN

Friendship Love Price Time Treat
We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.
JOHN DRYDEN

Character Habit Inspirational Nature Ourselves
Zeal, the blind conductor of the will.
JOHN DRYDEN

Blind Willing Zeal
Fowls, by winter forced, forsake the floods, and wing their hasty flight to happier lands.
JOHN DRYDEN

Force Happiness Land Winter
When I consider life, ’tis all a cheat; Yet, fooled with hope, men favour the deceit; Trust on, and think tomorrow will repay. Tomorrow’s falser than the former day.
JOHN DRYDEN

Cheat Day False Fools Life
Trust reposed in noble natures obliges them the more.
JOHN DRYDEN

Nature Obligation Response Trust
They that possess the prince possess the laws.
JOHN DRYDEN

Law Possession Prince
O freedom, first delight of human kind!
JOHN DRYDEN

Delight Freedom Human Kind
Be fair, or foul, or rain, or shine, The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine. Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.
JOHN DRYDEN

Fair Fate Myself Possession Rain Shine Time
For Art may err, but Nature cannot miss.
JOHN DRYDEN

Art Miss Mistake Nature
Treason is greatest where trust is greatest.
JOHN DRYDEN

Greatness Treason Trust
Light sufferings give us leisure to complain.
JOHN DRYDEN

Complain Leisure Light Suffering
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
The love of liberty with life is given, And life itself the inferior gift of Heaven.
JOHN DRYDEN

Gift Heaven Liberty Life Love
Imagining is in itself the very height and life of poetry, which, by a kind of enthusiasm or extraordinary emotion of the soul, makes it seem to us that we behold those things which the poet paints.
JOHN DRYDEN

Emotion Enthusiasm Height Imagination Paint Poet Soul
Sure there is none but fears a future state; And when the most obdurate swear they do not, Their trembling hearts belie their boasting tongues.
JOHN DRYDEN

Future Heart State Tongue Tremble
Only man clogs his happiness with care, destroying what is with thoughts of what may be.
JOHN DRYDEN

Care Destroy Happiness Man Thinking
Love works a different way in different minds, the fool it enlightens and the wise it blinds.
JOHN DRYDEN

Different Fools Love Mindset Wisdom
Dreams are but interludes that fancy makes… Sometimes forgotten things, long cast behind Rush forward in the brain, and come to mind.
JOHN DRYDEN

Dreams Forget Forward Mindset Time
Kings fight for empires, madmen for applause.
JOHN DRYDEN

Fight King Mad Man Praise
They, who would combat general authority with particular opinion, must first establish themselves a reputation of understanding better than other men.
JOHN DRYDEN

Authority Better General Man Opinion Understand
Let Fortune empty her whole quiver on me, I have a soul that, like an ample shield, Can take in all, and verge enough for more; Fate was not mine, nor am I Fate’s: Souls know no conquerors.
JOHN DRYDEN

Empty Enough Fortune Myself Soul
Desire of greatness is a godlike sin.
JOHN DRYDEN

Desire God Greatness Sin
They say everything in the world is good for something.
JOHN DRYDEN

Goodness Karma World
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
Go miser go, for money sell your soul. Trade wares for wares and trudge from pole to pole, So others may say when you are dead and gone. See what a vast estate he left his son.
JOHN DRYDEN

Estate Himself Misery Money Sell Soul
Fool that I was, upon my eagle’s wings I bore this wren, till I was tired with soaring, and now he mounts above me.
JOHN DRYDEN

Eagle Fools Mount Myself Wings

Men’s virtues I have commended as freely as I have taxed their crimes.

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Men’s virtues I have commended as freely as I have taxed their crimes.

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Popular Authors

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