“A long, exact, and serious comedy; In every scene some moral let it teach, And, if it can, at once both please and preach.”
Source: Poetical works
“Where grows?--where grows it not? If vain our toil, We ought to blame the culture, not the soil.”
Source: The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope
“Some positive persisting fops we know, Who, if once wrong, will needs be always so; But you with pleasure own your errors past, And make each day a critique on the last.”
Source: The Works of Alexander Pope: Esq., with His Last Corrections, Additions, and Improvements; as They Were Delivered to the Editor a Little Before His Death; Together with the Commentaries and Notes of Mr. Warburton
“Destroy all creatures for thy sport or gust, Yet cry, if man's unhappy, God's unjust.”
Source: The Works of Alexander Pope, Esq: Essay on man. Moral essays. An essay on satire
“If faith itself has different dresses worn, What wonder modes in wit should take their turn?”
Source: Poetical works
“To buy books as some do who make no use of them, only because they were published by an eminent printer, is much as if a man should buy clothes that did not fit him, only because they were made by some famous tailor.”
Source: The Works of Alexander Pope: Esq. with Notes and Illustrations by Himself and Others. To which are Added, a New Life of the Author, an Estimate of His Poetical Character and Writings, and Occasional Remarks
“A king is a mortal god on earth, unto whom the living God hath lent his own name as a great honour; but withal told him, he should die like a man, lest he should be proud, and flatter himself that God hath with his name imparted unto him his nature also. JOHN LOCKE, "Of a King", The Conduct of the Understanding: Essays, Moral, Economical, and Political A king may be a tool, a thing of straw; but if he serves to frighten our enemies, and secure our property, it is well enough: a scarecrow is a thing of straw, but it protects the corn.”
“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.”
Source: Poems: Pastoral poetry, and An essay on criticism
“Tis from high Life high Characters are drawn; A Saint in Crape is twice a Saint in Lawn: A Judge is just, a Chanc'llor juster still; A Gownman learn'd; a Bishop what you will; Wise if a minister; but if a King, More wise, more learn'd, more just, more ev'rything.”
Source: The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope Edited with Notes and Introductory Memoir by Adolphus William Ward
“A king may be a tool, a thing of straw; but if he serves to frighten our enemies, and secure our property, it is well enough; a scarecrow is a thing of straw, but it protects the corn.”
Source: 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
“When I die, I should be ashamed to leave enough to build me a monument if there were a wanting friend above ground. I would enjoy the pleasure of what I give by giving it alive and seeing another enjoy it.”
Source: The Works: Including Several Hundred Unpublished Letters, and Other New Materials
“I lose my patience, and I own it too,
When works are censur'd, not as bad but new;
While if our Elders break all reason's laws,
These fools demand not pardon but Applause.”
Source: The Works of Alexander Pope: Esq., with His Last Corrections, Additions, and Improvements; as They Were Delivered to the Editor a Little Before His Death; Together with the Commentaries and Notes of Mr. Warburton
“Oh! if to dance all night, and dress all day,
Charm'd the small-pox, or chas'd old age away;
. . . .
To patch, nay ogle, might become a saint,
Nor could it sure be such a sin to paint.”
Source: The Works of Alexander Pope
“For when success a lover's toil attends,Few ask, if fraud or force attain'd his ends”
Source: The Rape of the Lock In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
“Presumptuous Man! the reason wouldst thou find,Why form'd so weak, so little, and so blind?First, if thou canst, the harder reason guess,Why form'd no weaker, blinder, and no less!Ask of thy mother earth, why oaks are madeTaller or stronger than the weeds they shade?Or ask of yonder argent fields above,Why Jove's Satellites are less than Jove?”
Source: Delphi Complete Works of Alexander Pope (Illustrated)
“If it be the chief point of friendship to
comply with a friends motions and inclinations,
he possesses this in a eminent degree;
he lies down when I sit, and walks when I walk,
which is more than many good friends
can pretend to do.”
Source: The Works of Alexander Pope: New Ed. Including Several Hundred Unpublished Letters, and Other New Materials, Collected in Part by John Wilson Croker. With Introd. and Notes by Whitwell Elwin
“If a man's character is to be abused there's nobody like a relative to do the business.”
“Men must be taught as if you taught them not, and things unknown proposed as things forgot.”
“What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease.”
“Pride is still aiming at the best houses: Men would be angels, angels would be gods. Aspiring to be gods, if angels fell; aspiring to be angels men rebel.”
Source: The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Etc
“If I am right, Thy grace impart Still in the right to stay; If I am wrong, O, teach my heart To find that better way!”
Source: An essay on man: By Alexander Pope, Esq. Enlarged and improved by the author. Together with his MS. additions and variations as in the last edition of his works. With the notes of William, Lord Bishop of Gloucester
“Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be, In every work regard the writer's end, Since none can compass more than they intend; And if the means be just, the conduct true, Applause, in spite of trivial faults, is due.”
Source: The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope. Edited by the Rev. H. F. Cary, Etc
“Yet graceful ease, and sweetness void of pride, Might hide her faults, if belles had faults to hide: If to her share some female errors fall, Look on her face, and you'll forget 'em all.”
Source: The Rape of the Lock In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
“Not grace, or zeal, love only was my call,
And if I lose thy love, I lose my all.”
Source: The Works: Including Several Hundred Unpublished Letters, and Other New Materials
“But if you'll prosper, mark what I advise, Whom age, and long experience render wise.”
Source: The works of Alexander Pope. With notes by dr. Warburton
“Whether the charmer sinner it, or saint it, If folly grow romantic, I must paint it.”
Source: The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope: Edited by Robert Carruthers. Illustrated by Portraits and Original Designs. In 4 Volumes
“Get place and wealth, if possible with grace; if not, by any means get wealth and place.”
“Nor Fame I slight, nor for her favors call; She comes unlooked for, if she comes at all .”
Source: The Works: Including Several Hundred Unpublished Letters, and Other New Materials
“Whenever I find a great deal of gratitude in a poor man, I take it for granted there would be as much generosity if he were a rich man.”
Source: 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
“Did some more sober critics come abroad? If wrong, I smil'd; if right, I kiss'd the rod.”
Source: The Works of Alexander Pope, Esq: In Four Volumes Complete. With His Last Corrections, Additions, and Improvements. Carefully Collated and Compared with Former Editions: Together with Notes from the Various Critics and Commentators
“If, presume not to God to scan; The proper study of Mankind is Man. Plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state, a being darkly wise, and rudely great.”
“No, make me mistress to the man I love; If there be yet another name more free More fond than mistress, make me that to thee!”
“She who ne'er answers till a husband cools, Or, if she rules him, never shows she rules; Charms by accepting, by submitting, sways, Yet has her humor most, when she obeys.”
Source: The Poetical Works of A. Pope: Including His Translation of Homer , to which is Prefixed the Life of the Author
“Content if hence th' unlearn'd their wants may view, The learn'd reflect on what before they knew.”
Source: The Works of Alexander Pope
“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?”
“The world is a thing we must of necessity either laugh at or be angry at; if we laugh at it, they say we are proud; if we are angry at it, they say we are ill-natured.”
Source: The works of Alexander Pope. With a selection of explanatory notes, and the account of his life by dr. Johnson
