“Many a true word is spoken in jest”
Source: The Reeve's Prologue and Tale
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Famous Geoffrey Chaucer Quotes
“And when a beest is deed, he hath no peyne; But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne.”
“Drunkenness is the very sepulcher Of man's wit and his discretion.”
“In love there is but little rest.”
Source: The court of love and other works
Source: The Canterbury tales
“In general, women desire to rule over their husbands and lovers, to be the authority above them.”
“The devil can only destroy those who are already on their way to damnation.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
Source: The Canterbury tales
“What is better than wisdom? Woman. And what is better than a good woman? Nothing.”
Source: The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer: With an Essay on His Language and Versification, an Introductory Discourse, Notes, and a Glossary by Tho. Tyrwhitt
“How potent is the fancy! People are so impressionable, they can die of imagination.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
Source: Reading Chaucer's Poems: A Guided Selection
“One flesh they are; and one flesh, so I'd guess, Has but one heart, come grief or happiness.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
Source: The Canterbury tales
“Patience is a conquering virtue.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
Source: Delphi Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (Illustrated)
Source: The Prioresses Tale: Sire Thopas, the Monkes Tale, the Clerkes Tale, the Squieres Tale, from the Canterbury Tales
“Truth is the highest thing that man may keep.”
Source: The poems of Geoffrey Chaucer, modernized ...
“The guilty think all talk is of themselves.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
“And she was fair as is the rose in May.”
Source: The Legend of Good Women: Easyread Large Edition
“Whoso will pray, he must fast and be clean, And fat his soul, and make his body lean.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
“There's no workman, whatsoever he be, That may both work well and hastily.”
“People can die of mere imagination.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
Source: Arcita and Paloma: After the Excellent Poet, Geoffrey Chaucer
“Take a cat, nourish it well with milk and tender meat, make it a couch of silk.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
Source: The Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: To which are Appended Poems Attributed to Chaucer
“There's never a new fashion but it's old.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
“In the stars is written the death of every man.”
Source: The Complete Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: Now First Put Into Modern English
“But Christ's lore and his apostles twelve, He taught and first he followed it himself.”
Source: Canterbury Tales (selected)
“Filth and old age, I'm sure you will agree, are powerful wardens upon chastity.”
Source: The Canterbury tales
“Nowhere so busy a man as he there was And yet he seemed busier than he was.”
“He loved chivalrye Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye.”
Source: Poetry: An Anthology for the Modern Reader
Source: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury tales (Text)