Alexander Pope Quotes

True wit is nature to advantage dress'd What oft was thought but ne'er so well expressed.

All gardening is landscape painting.

The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head.

Most critics, fond of subservient artstill make the whole depend upon a part.They talk of principles, but notions prizeAnd all to one loved folly sacrifice.

Health consists with temperance alone.

How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!The world forgetting, by the world forgot.Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d

They dream in courtship, but in wedlock wake.

There is nothing meritorious but virtue and friendship.

A God without dominion, providence, and final causes, is nothing else but fate and nature.

For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight, His can't be wrong whose life is in the right.

Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said "Let Newton be!" and all was light.

So vast is art, so narrow human wit.

Then marble soften'd into life grew warm.

Oh let me live my own! and die so too! ("To live and die is all I have to do:") Maintain a poet's dignity and ease, And see what friends, and read what books I please.

All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body Nature is, and God the soul.

The most positive men are the most credulous.

A man of business may talk of philosophy a man who has none may practise it.

Blessed be he who expects nothing for he shall never be disappointed.

The feast of reason and the flow of soul.

To err is human, to forgive, divine.

In pride in reas'ning pride our error lies All quit their sphere and rush into the skies. Pride still is aiming at the bless'd abodes Men would be angels angels would be gods.

Amusement is the happiness of those who cannot think.

How shall I love the sin yet keep the sense And love the offender yet detest the offence?

A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting by the world forgot.

Thus let me live unseen unknown Thus unlamented let me die Steal from the world and not a stone Tell where I lie.

Till tired he sleeps and life's poor play is o'er.

To err is human to forgive divine.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

For fools admire but men of sense approve.

There is no study that is not capable of delighting us, after a little application to it.

Order is Heaven's first law.

All are but parts of one stupendous whole Whose body Nature is and God the soul.

And, after all, what is a lie? 'Tis but the truth in a masquerade.

Make use of every friend— and every foe.

The pride of aiming at more knowledge, and pretending to more perfection, is the cause of Man's error and misery.

There St. John mingles with my friendly bowl The feat of reason and the flow of soul.

Know then thyself presume not God to scan The proper study of mankind is man.

For I who hold sage Homer's rule the best Welcome the coming speed the going guest.

Some judge of authors' names, not works, and then nor praise nor blame the writings, but the men.

When two people compliment each other with the choice of anything each of them generally gets that which he likes least.

Eve left Adam to meet the Devil in private.

We think our fathers fools so wise we grow Our wiser sons no doubt will think us so.

An obstinate man does not hold opinions but they hold him.

A person who is too nice an observer of the business of the crowd, like one who is too curious in observing the labor of bees, will often be stung for his curiosity.

I have as little fear that God will damn a man that has charity as I hope that the priests can save one who has not.

Get place and wealth if possible with grace If not by any means get wealth and place.

In faith and hope the world will disagree but all mankind's concern is charity.

Trust not yourself, but your defects to know, make use of every friend and every foe.

Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night:God said, Let Newton be! and all was light.