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Few know the use of life before ’tis past.

John Dryden

No government has ever been, or can ever be, wherein time-servers and blockheads will not be uppermost.
JOHN DRYDEN

Block Government Time
For Art may err, but Nature cannot miss.
JOHN DRYDEN

Art Miss Mistake Nature
Secret guilt is by silence revealed.
JOHN DRYDEN

Guilty Reveal Secret Silence
He is a perpetual fountain of good sense.
JOHN DRYDEN

Fountain Goodness Sense
Truth is the foundation of all knowledge and the cement of all societies.
JOHN DRYDEN

Cement Foundation Knowledge Society Truth
We must beat the iron while it is hot, but we may polish it at leisure.
JOHN DRYDEN

Chance Hot Iron Leisure
Thus all below is strength, and all above is grace.
JOHN DRYDEN

Grace Strength
He who would pry behind the scenes oft sees a counterfeit.
JOHN DRYDEN

Himself Scene
Desire of greatness is a godlike sin.
JOHN DRYDEN

Desire God Greatness Sin
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
Satire among the Romans, but not among the Greeks, was a bitter invective poem.
JOHN DRYDEN

Bitter Poem Satire
When I consider life, it is all a cheat. Yet fooled with hope, people favor this deceit.
JOHN DRYDEN

Cheating Favor Fools Hope Life
All heiresses are beautiful.
JOHN DRYDEN

Beautiful One Liner
We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.
JOHN DRYDEN

Character Habit Inspirational Nature Ourselves
Repartee is the soul of conversation.
JOHN DRYDEN

Conversation One Liner Soul
As one that neither seeks, nor shuns his foe.
JOHN DRYDEN

Enemy One Liner Seek Shine
Murder may pass unpunished for a time, But tardy justice will overtake the crime.
JOHN DRYDEN

Crime Murder Punishment Time
So the false spider, when her nets are spread, deep ambushed in her silent den does lie.
JOHN DRYDEN

Fake Lying Silence
They think too little who talk too much.
JOHN DRYDEN

Talk Thinking
Virtue is her own reward.
JOHN DRYDEN

One Liner Reward Virtue
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today: 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

Live Myself Past Power Rain Shine Worst
All flowers will droop in the absence of the sun that waked their sweets.
JOHN DRYDEN

Absence Flower Sun Sweet Wake Up
War seldom enters but where wealth allures.
JOHN DRYDEN

Seldom War Wealth
And that the Scriptures, though not everywhere Free from corruption, or entire, or clear, Are uncorrupt, sufficient, clear, entire In all things which our needful faith require.
JOHN DRYDEN

Corruption Faith Freedom Need Scripture Sufficient
Order is the greatest grace.
JOHN DRYDEN

Greatness One Liner Order Peace
But Shakespeare’s magic could not copied be; Within that circle none durst walk but he.
JOHN DRYDEN

Himself Magic Walk
A farce is that in poetry which grotesque (caricature) is in painting. The persons and actions of a farce are all unnatural, and the manners false, that is, inconsistent with the characters of mankind; and grotesque painting is the just resemblance of this.
JOHN DRYDEN

Character Kind Man Natural Painting Person Poetry

Few know the use of life before ’tis past.

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Few know the use of life before ’tis past.

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