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Honor is a public enemy, and conscience a domestic, and he that would secure his pleasure, must pay a tribute to one and go halves with t'other.
William Congreve
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William Congreve
Age: 58 †
Born: 1670
Born: January 24
Died: 1729
Died: January 19
Engineer
Librettist
Playwright
Poet
Translator
Writer
Pay
Enemy
Public
Halves
Pleasure
Tribute
Half
Domestic
Must
Secure
Would
Conscience
Honor
More quotes by William Congreve
Courtship is to marriage, as a very witty prologue to a very dull play.
William Congreve
You are a woman: you must never speak what you think your words must contradict your thoughts, but your actions may contradict your words.
William Congreve
No mask like open truth to cover lies, As to go naked is the best disguise.
William Congreve
I came up stairs into the world, for I was born in a cellar.
William Congreve
Marriage indeed may qualify the fury of his passion, but it very rarely mends a man's manners.
William Congreve
But say what you will, 'tis better to be left than never to have been loved. To pass our youth in dull indifference, to refuse the sweets of life because they once must leave us, is as preposterous as to wish to have been born old, because we one day must be old.
William Congreve
Love's but a frailty of the mind, When 'tis not with ambition joined.
William Congreve
Come, come, leave business to idlers, and wisdom to fools: they have need of 'em: wit be my faculty, and pleasure my occupation, and let father Time shake his glass.
William Congreve
To converse with Scandal is to play at Losing Loadum, you must lose a good name to him, before you can win it for yourself.
William Congreve
Defer not till to-morrow to be wise, To-morrow's Sun to thee may never rise Or should to-morrow chance to cheer thy sight With her enlivening and unlook'd for light, How grateful will appear her dawning rays! As favours unexpected doubly please.
William Congreve
Marriage is honourable, as you say and if so, wherefore should Cuckoldom be a Discredit, being deriv'd from so honourable a Root?
William Congreve
If happiness in self-content is placed, The wise are wretched, and fools only blessed.
William Congreve
He who closes his ears to the views of others shows little confidence in the integrity of his own views.
William Congreve
They are at the end of the gallery retired to their tea and scandal, according to their ancient custom.
William Congreve
Whoever is king, is also the father of his country.
William Congreve
Wit must be foiled by wit: cut a diamond with a diamond.
William Congreve
Delay not till tomorrow to be wise tomorrow's sun to thee may neve rise.
William Congreve
Nothing but you can lay hold of my mind, and that can lay hold of nothing but you.
William Congreve
Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear.
William Congreve
I am a fool, I know it and yet, Heaven help me, I'm poor enough to be a wit.
William Congreve