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Petrarch

Petrarch Quotes

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Famous Petrarch Quotes

“Whyle I was abowte to chaunge myn olde lyff-- What sorowe I suffred, dyseese, angre and stryff, Cracchynge myn here, my chekys all totare, Wrythynge my fyngres for angwysshe and care, Watrynge the erthe with my byttre salte teres That the crye of my syghes ascended to Goddys eres, My knees with myn handys grasped togedyre soore, And yitt I stode the same man I was afore Tyl a depe profounde remembraunce att the laste Hadd all my wrecchednesse afore myn eyn caste”

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“If a hundred or a thousand people, all of the same age, of the same constitution and habits, were suddenly seized by the same illness, and one half of them were to place themselves under the care of doctors, such as they are in our time, whilst the other half entrusted themselves to Nature and to their own discretion, I have not the slightest doubt that there would be more cases of death amongst the former, and more cases of recovery among the latter.”

PeopleIfsWould BeCareAgeHalfCasesDoubtHabitThousandHundredDoctorsConstitutionIllnessRecoveryFormerOur TimeLatterDiscretionOther HalfOne Half
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“In my younger days I struggled constantly with an overwhelming but pure love affair - my only one, and I would have struggled with it longer had not premature death, bitter but salutary for me, extinguished the cooling flames. I certainly wish I could say that I have always been entirely free from desires of the flesh, but I would be lying if I did.”

IfsWould BeLyingDesireWishPureAffairFleshBitterFlamesOverwhelmingLove AffairPure LovePrematureCoolingPremature DeathYounger Days
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“There is no lighter burden, nor more agreeable, than a pen. Other pleasures fail us or wound us while they charm, but the pen we take up rejoicing and lay down with satisfaction, for it has the power to advantage not only its lord and master, but many others as well, even though they be far away - sometimes, indeed, though they be not born for thousands of years to come.”

YearsWellsSometimesBornPleasureLordFailingMastersAdvantageLaysSatisfactionBurdenWoundsCharmPensRejoiceFar AwayLighters
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“Books come at my call and return when I desire them; they are never out of humor and they answer all my questions with readiness. Some present in review before me the events of past ages; others reveal to me the secrets of Nature. These teach me how to live, and those how to die; these dispel my melancholy by their mirth, and amuse me by their sallies of wit. Some there are who prepare my soul to suffer everything, to desire nothing, and to become thoroughly acquainted with itself. In a word, they open the door to all the arts and sciences.”

ArtBookSoulAgePastDesireSufferingDiesAnswersSecretTeachDoorsEventsReturnWitMy SoulPreparationMelancholyReviewsReadinessArt And ScienceMirth
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