William Congreve Quotes

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.

Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear.

Women are like tricks by sleight of hand, Which, to admire, we should not understand

Say what you will, 'tis better to be left than never to have been loved.

He who closes his ears to the views of others shows little confidence in the integrity of his own views.

'Tis well enough for a servant to be bred at an University. But the education is a little too pedantic for a gentleman.

Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.

Thou art a retailer of phrases, and dost deal in remnants of remnants.

Nothing but you can lay hold of my mind, and that can lay hold of nothing but you.

In my conscience I believe the baggage loves me, for she never speaks well of me herself, nor suffers any body else to rail at me.

I find we are growing serious, and then we are in great danger of being dull.

Love's but the frailty of the mind, When 'tis not with ambition joined; A sickly flame, which if not fed expires; And feeding, wastes in self-consuming fires.

Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing.

There are times when sense may be unseasonable, as well as truth.

Never go to bed angry, stay up and fight.

There is in true Beauty, as in Courage, somewhat which narrow Souls cannot dare to admire.

Courtship is to marriage, as a very witty prologue to a very dull play.

Whoever is king, is also the father of his country.

Wit must be foiled by wit: cut a diamond with a diamond.

You are a woman: you must never speak what you think; your words must contradict your thoughts, but your actions may contradict your words.

They are at the end of the gallery; retired to their tea and scandal, according to their ancient custom.

A wit should no more be sincere, than a woman constant; one argues a decay of parts, as to other of beauty.

Women like flames have a destroying power; never to be quenched till they themselves devour.

Delay not till tomorrow to be wise; tomorrow's sun to thee may neve rise.

Thus in this sad, but oh, too pleasing state! my soul can fix upon nothing but thee; thee it contemplates, admires, adores, nay depends on, trusts on you alone.

Invention flags, his brain goes muddy, And black despair succeeds brown study.

Thus grief still treads upon the heels of pleasure; Married in haste, we may repent at leisure.

She likes herself, yet others hates, For that which in herself she prizes; And while she laughs at them, forgets She is the thing that she despises.

I came up stairs into the world, for I was born in a cellar.

Beauty is the lover's gift.

No, I'm no enemy to learning; it hurts not me.

If there's delight in love, 'Tis when I see that heart, which others bleed for, bleed for me.

A woman only obliges a man to secrecy, that she may have the pleasure of telling herself.

I confess freely to you, I could never look long upon a monkey, without very mortifying reflections.

A hungry wolf at all the herd will run, In hopes, through many, to make sure of one.

A little scorn is alluring.

O fie, miss, you must not kiss and tell.

These articles subscribed, if I continue to endure you a little longer, I may by degrees dwindle into wife.

Music alone with sudden charms can bind The wand'ring sense, and calm the troubled mind.

It is the business of a comic poet to paint the vices and follies of human kind.

Mr Witwould: "Pray, madam, do you pin up your hair with all your letters? I find I must keep copies." Mrs Millamant: "Only with those in verse.... I never pin up my hair with prose."

How hard a thing 'twould be to please you all.

O, she is the antidote to desire.

There is nothing more unbecoming a man of quality than to laugh ... 'tis such a vulgar expression of the passion!

If this be not love, it is madness, and then it is pardonable.

Hannibal was a very pretty fellow in those days.

If happiness in self-content is placed, The wise are wretched, and fools only blessed.

Let us be very strange and well-bred:Let us be as strange as if we had been married a great while;And as well-bred as if we were not married at all.

Every man plays the fool once in his live, but to marry is playing the fool all one's life long.

I nauseate walking; 'tis a country diversion, I loathe the country.