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Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd.

William Cowper

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William Cowper
Age: 68 †
Born: 1731
Born: November 26
Died: 1800
Died: April 25
Hymnwriter
Poet
Poet Lawyer
Translator
Writer
Berkhamsted
Hertfordshire
Errors
Wave
Men
Dubious
Toss
Waves
Error

More quotes by William Cowper

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And in that hour, The seeds of cruelty, that since have swell'd To such gigantic and enormous growth, Were sown in human nature's fruitful soil. Hence date the persecution and the pain That man inflicts on all inferior kinds, Regardless of their plaints.
William Cowper
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Lived in his saddle, loved the chase, the course, And always, ere he mounted, kiss'd his horse.
William Cowper
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An epigram is but a feeble thing - With straw in tail, stuck there by way of sting.
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If a great man struggling with misfortunes is a noble object, a little man that despises them is no contemptible one.
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All truth is precious, if not all divine and what dilates the powers must needs refine.
William Cowper
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Meditation here may think down hours to moments. Here the heart may give a useful lesson to the head and learning wiser grow without his books.
William Cowper
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Fate steals along with silent tread, Found oftenest in what least we dread Frowns in the storm with angry brow, But in the sunshine strikes the blow.
William Cowper
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O Winter! ruler of the inverted year, . . . I crown thee king of intimate delights, Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness, And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturbed Retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening, know.
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Absence of proof is not proof of absence.
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Some people are more nice than wise.
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Give what thou canst, without Thee we are poor And with Thee rich, take what Thou wilt away.
William Cowper
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He that runs may read.
William Cowper
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The still small voice is wanted.
William Cowper
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Some to the fascination of a name, Surrender judgment hoodwinked.
William Cowper
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Admirals extolled for standing still, or doing nothing with a deal of skill.
William Cowper
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No tree in all the grove but has its charms, Though each its hue peculiar.
William Cowper
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The spleen is seldom felt where Flora reigns The low'ring eye, the petulance, the frown, And sullen sadness, that o'ershade, distort, And mar the face of beauty, when no cause For such immeasurable woe appears These Flora banishes, and gives the fair Sweet smiles, and bloom less transient than her own.
William Cowper
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But war's a game, which, were their subjects wise, Kings should not play at. Nations would do well To extort their truncheons from the puny hands Of heroes, whose infirm and baby minds Are gratified with mischief, and who spoil, Because men suffer it, their toy the world.
William Cowper
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All we behold is miracle.
William Cowper
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The art of poetry is to touch the passions, and its duty to lead them on the side of virtue.
William Cowper