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John Milton Quotes

Poet

John Milton, born on December 9, 1608, in London, and died on November 8, 1674, was a renowned English poet and scholar. He is best known for his epic poem 'Paradise Lost,' which has had a profound impact on world literature.

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All Men Paradise Lost Book 9 Paradise Lost Book 2 May Heaven Ifs Paradise Lost Book 1 Light Thee Virtue Night Knows Love World Hell Evil Eye Mind Earth Life

Famous John Milton Quotes

“Her heavenly form Angelick, but more soft and feminine, Her graceful innocence, her every air Of gesture, or least action overawed His malice”

Evil Good Innocence

Book:Paradise lost

Source: Paradise lost

“Shall that be shut to man, which to the beast Is open? or will God incense his ire For such a petty trespass? and not praise Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain Of death denounced, whatever thing death be, Deterred not from achieving what might lead To happier life, knowledge of good and evil; Of good, how just? of evil, if what is evil Be real, why not known, since easier shunned? God therefore cannot hurt ye, and be just; Not just, not God: not feared then, nor obeyed: Your fear itself of death removes the fear. Why then was this forbid? Why, but to awe; Why, but to keep ye low and ignorant, His worshippers? He knows that in the day Ye eat thereof, your eyes, that seem so clear, Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then Opened and cleared, and ye shall be as gods, Knowing both good and evil, as they know.”

Poetry Evil Knowledge Good

Book:Paradise lost

Source: Paradise lost

“...So little knows Any but God alone to value right The good before him but perverts best things To worst abuse or to their meanest use.”

God Evil Man Fallenness

Book:Paradise lost

Source: Paradise lost

“Abashed the Devil stood, And felt how awful goodness is, and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely; saw, and pined His loss.”

Hate Evil Virtue Sadness Goodness

Book:Paradise lost

Source: Paradise lost

“O visions ill foreseen! Better had I Liv'd ignorant of future, so had borne My part of evil only.”

Evil Vision Ill Ignorant Foreseen

Book:The Poetical Works of John Milton: With Notes of Various Authors; and with Some Account of the Life and Writings of Milton, Derived Principally from Original Documents in Her Majesty's State-paper Office

Source: The Poetical Works of John Milton: With Notes of Various Authors; and with Some Account of the Life and Writings of Milton, Derived Principally from Original Documents in Her Majesty's State-paper Office

“Hail universal Lord, be bounteous still To give us only good; and if the night Have gathered aught of evil or concealed, Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark.”

Ifs Giving Stills Light Night Evil Dark Lord Universal Concealed Hail Dark Night

Book:Paradis perdu: de Milton

Source: Paradis perdu: de Milton

“It was from out the rind of one apple tasted, that the knowledge of good and evil, as two twins cleaving together, leaped forth into the world.”

World Two Together Evil Apples Good And Evil Twins Cleaving

Author:John Milton

“Promiscuous reading is necessary to the constituting of human nature. The attempt to keep out evil doctrine by licensing is like the exploit of that gallant man who thought to keep out the crows by shutting the park gate.”

Men Humans Evil Reading Human Nature Doctrine Parks Gates Exploits Crow Gallant Promiscuous Licensing

Author:John Milton

“As therefore the state of man now is, what wisdom can there be to choose, what continence to forbear, without the knowledge of good and evil?”

Men States Evil Good And Evil

Author:John Milton

“That virtue therefore which is but a youngling in the contemplation of evil, and knows not the utmost that vice promises to her followers, and rejects it, is but a blank virtue, not a pure; her whiteness is but an excremental whiteness.”

Knows Evil Virtue Promise Pure Vices Contemplation Rejects Followers Blank Whiteness

Author:John Milton

“Sense of pleasure we may well Spare out of life perhaps, and not repine, But live content, which is the calmest life; But pain is perfect misery, the worst Of evils, and excessive, overturns All patience.”

Wells May Pain Evil Perfect Pleasure Worst Misery Spares

Book:Paradise lost

Source: Paradise lost

“For books are as meats and viands are; some of good, some of evil sub-stance.”

Book Evil Meat Stance

Book:The Prose Works of John Milton

Source: The Prose Works of John Milton

“Evil into the mind of god or man may come and go, so unapproved, and leave no spot or blame behind.”

Men Mind May Evil Behinds Blame Spots Comes And Goes

Book:The First Six Books of Milton's Paradise Lost, Rendered Into Grammatical Construction ... With Notes ... To which are Prefixed Remarks on Ellipsis and Transposition ... By J. Buchanan

Source: The First Six Books of Milton's Paradise Lost, Rendered Into Grammatical Construction ... With Notes ... To which are Prefixed Remarks on Ellipsis and Transposition ... By J. Buchanan

“Evil, be thou my good.”

Evil

Author:John Milton

“These evils I deserve, and more . . . . Justly, yet despair not of his final pardon, Whose ear is ever open, and his eye Gracious to re-admit the suppliant.”

Eye Evil Despair Forgiveness Deserve Ears Finals His Eyes Pardon Gracious

Book:The poetical works of John Milton: With a memoir, and critical remarks on his genius and writings

Source: The poetical works of John Milton: With a memoir, and critical remarks on his genius and writings

“So farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear,Farewell remorse: all good to me is lost;Evil,be thou my good.”

Evil Hope Lost Fear Losing Farewell Remorse Paradise Lost Book 9 Paradise Lost Book 2 Adieu

Author:John Milton

“That space the Evil One abstracted stood From his own evil, and for the time remained Stupidly good, of enmity disarmed, Of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge .”

Time Hate Evil Space Revenge Envy Enmity Paradise Lost Book 9 Guile