Quote

For trash and toys, And grief-engend'ring joys, What torment seems too sharp for flesh and blood What bitter pills, Compos'd of real ills, Men swallow down to purchase one false good!

Francis Quarles

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Francis Quarles
Age: 52 †
Born: 1592
Born: May 8
Died: 1644
Died: September 8
Author
Poet
Writer
Havering
Flesh
Joys
Grief
Trash
Joy
Toys
Blood
Sharp
Ills
Seems
Ring
Purchase
Real
Rings
Swallow
Good
Bitter
Pills
Men
False
Torment

More quotes by Francis Quarles

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Money is both the generation and corruption of purchased honor honor is both the child and slave of potent money: the credit which honor hath lost, money hath found. When honor grew mercenary, money grew honorable. The way to be truly noble is to contemn both.
Francis Quarles
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In thy apparel avoid singularity, profuseness, and gaudiness. Be not too early in the fashion, nor too late. Decency is half way between affectation and neglect. The body is the shell of the soul, apparel is the husk of that shell the husk often tells you what the kernel is.
Francis Quarles
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Wrinkle not thy face with too much laughter, lest thou become ridiculous neither wanton thy heart with too much mirth, lest thou become vain: the suburbs of folly is vain mirth, and profuseness of laughter is the city of fools.
Francis Quarles
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Is not this lily pure? What fuller can procure A white so perfect, spotless clear As in this flower doth appear?
Francis Quarles
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The goods we spend we keep and what we save We lose and only what we lose we have.
Francis Quarles
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Wickedness is its own punishment.
Francis Quarles
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He that hath no cross deserves no crown.
Francis Quarles
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Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it what custom hath civilized is become decent, till then ridiculous where the eye is the jury thy apparel is the evidence.
Francis Quarles
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Thy ignorance in unrevealed mysteries is the mother of a saving faith, and thy understanding in revealed truths is the mother of a sacred knowledge understand not therefore that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand understanding is the wages of a lively faith and faith is the reward of an humble ignorance.
Francis Quarles
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It is no happiness to live long, nor unhappiness to die soon happy is he that hath lived long enough to die well.
Francis Quarles
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Things temporal are sweeter in the expectation, things eternal are sweeter in the fruition the first shames thy hope, the second crowns it it is a vain journey, whose end affords less pleasure than the way.
Francis Quarles
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In the height of thy prosperity expect adversity, but fear it not. If it come not, thou art the more sweetly possessed of the happiness thou hast, and the more strongly confirmed. If it come, thou art the more gently dispossessed of the happiness thou hadst, and the more firmly prepared.
Francis Quarles
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Deliberate long before thou consecrate a friend, and when thy impartial justice concludes him worthy of thy bosom, receive him joyfully, and entertain him wisely impart thy secrets boldly, and mingle thy thoughts with his: he is thy very self and use him so if thou firmly think him faithful, thou makest him so.
Francis Quarles
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Anger may repast with thee for an hour, but not repose for a night the continuance of anger is hatred, the continuance of hatred turns malice.
Francis Quarles
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Nor fire, nor rocks, can stop our furious minds, Nor waves, nor winds.
Francis Quarles
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Take heed thou trust not the deceitful lap Of wanton Dalilah the world's a trap.
Francis Quarles
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They who cannot be induced to fear for love will never be enforced to love for fear. Love opens the heart, fear shuts it that encourages, this compels and victory meets encouragement, but flees compulsion.
Francis Quarles
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If thou wouldst preserve a sound body, use fasting and walking if a healthful soul, fasting and praying. Walking exercises the body praying exercises the soul fasting cleanses both.
Francis Quarles
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The grave is sooner cloy'd than men's desire.
Francis Quarles
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The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The Levites are Correctors Heaven Revises. Death is the common Press, from whence being driven, We're gather'd, Sheet by Sheet, and bound for Heaven.
Francis Quarles