The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (193 page)
Read The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations Online
Authors: Elizabeth Knowles
1839–1915
Dirt is only matter out of place; and what is a blot on the escutcheon of the Common Law may be a jewel in the crown of the Social Republic.
Restraints on the Alienation of Property
(2nd ed., 1895) preface
d. 1612
A dead woman bites not.
pressing for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587
oral tradition
1716–71
Ruin seize thee, ruthless King!
Confusion on thy banners wait.
The Bard
(1757) l. 1
In gallant trim the gilded vessel goes;
Youth on the prow, and Pleasure at the helm.
"The Bard" (1757) l. 73
The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
(1751) l. 1
Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade,
Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap,
Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,
The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
(1751) l. 13
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
(1751) l. 36
Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
(1751) l. 53
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learned to stray.
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
(1751) l. 73
Alas, regardless of their doom,
The little victims play!
No sense have they of ills to come,
Nor care beyond to-day.
Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College
(1747) l. 51
Where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise.
Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College
(1747) l. 99
Not all that tempts your wand'ring eyes
And heedless hearts, is lawful prize;
Nor all, that glisters, gold.
"Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat" (1748)
He saw; but blasted with excess of light,
Closed his eyes in endless night.
of Milton
The Progress of Poesy
(1757) l. 101
1811–72
Go West, young man, and grow up with the country.
Hints toward Reforms
(1850)
1904–91
Catholics and Communists have committed great crimes, but at least they have not stood aside, like an established society, and been indifferent. I would rather have blood on my hands than water like Pilate.
The Comedians
(1966) pt. 3, ch. 4
So much of life was a putting-off of unhappiness for another time. Nothing was ever lost by delay.
The Heart of the Matter
(1948) bk. 1, pt. 1, ch. 1
What do we ever get nowadays from reading to equal the excitement and the revelation in those first fourteen years?
The Lost Childhood and Other Essays
(1951) title essay
There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.
The Power and the Glory
(1940) pt. 1, ch. 1
Innocence always calls mutely for protection, when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it: innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world meaning no harm.
The Quiet American
(1955) pt. 1, ch. 3
