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Words are but pictures of our thoughts.

John Dryden

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

Cheating Favor Fools Hope Life
Truth is never to be expected from authors whose understanding is warped with enthusiasm.
JOHN DRYDEN

Authors Enthusiasm Expectation Truth
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
Every age has a kind of universal genius, which inclines those that live in it to some particular studies.
JOHN DRYDEN

Age Genius Kind Live Study Universe
A man is to be cheated into passion, but to be reasoned into truth.
JOHN DRYDEN

Cheating Man Passion Reason Truth
Courage from hearts and not from numbers grows.
JOHN DRYDEN

Courage Growth Heart
Men are but children of a larger growth, Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, And full as craving too, and full as vain.
JOHN DRYDEN

Children Crave Growth Man
None, none descends into himself, to find The secret imperfections of his mind: But every one is eagle-ey’d to see Another’s faults, and his deformity.
JOHN DRYDEN

Finding Himself Imperfection Mistake Secret
They first condemn that first advised the ill.
JOHN DRYDEN

Advise Sick
Light sufferings give us leisure to complain.
JOHN DRYDEN

Complain Leisure Light Suffering
Revenge, revenge, Timotheus cries, See the Furies arise!
JOHN DRYDEN

Fury Revenge See
Shame on the body for breaking down while the spirit perseveres.
JOHN DRYDEN

Body Break Preservation Shame Spirit
Merit challenges envy.
JOHN DRYDEN

Advantage Jealous One Liner
For Art may err, but Nature cannot miss.
JOHN DRYDEN

Art Miss Mistake Nature
I’m a little wounded, but I am not slain; I will lay me down to bleed a while. Then I’ll rise and fight again.
JOHN DRYDEN

Fight Myself Rise Wound
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
What precious drops are those, Which silently each other’s track pursue, Bright as young diamonds in their faint dew?
JOHN DRYDEN

Dew Precious Pursue Track Young
Take not away the life you cannot give: For all things have an equal right to live.
JOHN DRYDEN

Equality Life Live Right
If by the people you understand the multitude, the hoi polloi, ’tis no matter what they think; they are sometimes in the right, sometimes in the wrong; their judgment is a mere lottery.
JOHN DRYDEN

Judgement People Thinking Understand Wrong
If you have lived, take thankfully the past. Make, as you can, the sweet remembrance last.
JOHN DRYDEN

Live Past Remember Thankful
All flowers will droop in the absence of the sun that waked their sweets.
JOHN DRYDEN

Absence Flower Sun Sweet Wake Up
Beware of the fury of the patient man.
JOHN DRYDEN

Beware Man Patience
The glorious lamp of heaven, the radiant sun, Is Nature’s eye.
JOHN DRYDEN

Eyes Heaven Nature
Thus all below is strength, and all above is grace.
JOHN DRYDEN

Grace Strength
For all the happiness mankind can gain Is not in pleasure, but in rest from pain.
JOHN DRYDEN

Happiness Kind Man Sadness
There’s a proud modesty in merit; averse from asking, and resolved to pay ten times the gifts it asks.
JOHN DRYDEN

Gift Modesty Proud Time
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

Words are but pictures of our thoughts.

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Words are but pictures of our thoughts.

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