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Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope Quotes

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Famous Alexander Pope Quotes

“The difference is as great between The optics seeing as the objects seen. All manners take a tincture from our own; Or come discolor'd through out passions shown; Or fancy's beam enlarges, multiplies, Contracts, inverts, and gives ten thousand dyes.”

GivingPassionDifferencesSeeingObjectsThousandTenMannersFancyContractsBeamOpticsInvert
Book:An Essay on Man: In Four Epistles to H. St. John (Lord Bolingbroke). To which are Added, The Universal Prayer, An Essay on the Knowledge and Character of Men, and Other Pieces, with Notes
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“What riches give us let us then inquire: Meat, fire, and clothes. What more? Meat, clothes, and fire. Is this too little?”

GivingLittlesWealthFireClothesRichesMeat
Book:The works of Alexander Pope, with notes and illustrations, by himself and others. To which are added, a new life of the author [&c.] by W. Roscoe
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“Giving advice is many times only the privilege of saying a foolish thing one's self, under the pretense of hindering another from doing one.”

GivingSelfAdvicePrivilegeFoolishPretenseGiving Advice
Book:A Supplementary Volume to the Works of Alexander Pope, Esq: Containing Pieces of Poetry, Not Inserted in Warburton's and Warton's Editions : and a Collection of Letters, Now First Published
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“I think a good deal may be said to extenuate the fault of bad Poets. What we call a Genius, is hard to be distinguish'd by a man himself, from a strong inclination: and if his genius be ever so great, he can not at first discover it any other way, than by giving way to that prevalent propensity which renders him the more liable to be mistaken.”

IfsThinkingMenWayGivingFirstsMaySaidHardStrongDealsPoetGeniusFaultsMistakenCan NotInclinationLiablePropensityGiving Way
Book:Poems: Pastoral poetry, and An essay on criticism
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“What nothing earthly gives, or can destroy, The soul's calm sunshine, and the heart-felt joy, Is virtue's prize.”

GivingHeartSoulJoyFeltVirtueCalmSunshinePrizeHeart Felt
Book:The works of Alexander Pope, with notes and illustrations, by himself and others. To which are added, a new life of the author [&c.] by W. Roscoe
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“Old men, for the most part, are like old chronicles that give you dull but true accounts of times past, and are worth knowing only on that score.”

MenGivingPastMemoriesKnowingAccountsDullScoreOld ManRecollectionChroniclesTimes Past
Book:A Supplementary Volume to the Works of Alexander Pope, Esq: Containing Pieces of Poetry, Not Inserted in Warburton's and Warton's Editions : and a Collection of Letters, Now First Published
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“Behold the child, by Nature's kindly law, Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw; Some livelier plaything gives his youth delight, A little louder, but as empty quite; Scarfs, garters, gold, amuse his riper stage, And beads and prayer-books are the toys of age. Pleased with this bauble still, as that before, Till tired he sleeps, and life's poor play is o'er.”

LifeGivingChildrenLittlesStillsBookPlayAgeLawPrayerSleepPoorStageYouthEmptyGoldTiredDelightEmptinessToysStrawsBeadsGarters
Book:The Works: Including Several Hundred Unpublished Letters, and Other New Materials
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“No Senses stronger than his brain can bear. Why has not Man a microscopic eye? For this plain reason, Man is not a Fly: What the advantage, if his finer eyes Study a Mite, not comprehend the Skies?... Or quick Effluvia darting thro' his brain, Die of a Rose, in Aromatic pain? If Nature thunder'd in his opening ears, And stunn'd him with the music of the Spheres... Who finds not Providence all-good and wise, Alike in what it gives, and what denies?”

IfsMenGivingReasonBodyEyePainDiesBrainStudyWiseSkyBearsAdvantageEarsStrongerRoseDenySensesOpeningSpheresProvidenceThunder
Author:Alexander Pope
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