Alexander Pope was born on 21 May 1688 in London, United Kingdom. He is considered as one of the greatest English poets of the 18th century. He went to two Roman Catholic schools. He was hugely inspired by classical writers like Homer, Virgil, Horace and English authors like Chaucer, Dryden, and Shakespeare.
Pope gained popularity through his writing, Pope's Pastorals in 1709, followed by An Essay on Criticism in 1711. His most famous work is The Rape of the Lock, which was published in 1712 and later in 1714. The Dunciad and his translation of Homer gained a lot of fame as well. He is also considered the 'master of the heroic couplet'. After Shakespeare, he is the most quoted poet of English Literature to date.
Pope suffered from a lot of diseases from a very early age. He died on 30 May 1744 in Twickenham, United Kingdom, and was buried at St. Mary's Church. Pope was one of the most famous contemporary poets and satirists of the Augustan age.
Some of the most widely read quotes of Alexander Pope are as follows.
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Ignorance is bliss. Those who can forget this world and those who get forgotten by the world; live in peace. They don't have anything to worry about, and they can enjoy life in its true sense.
The proper study of Mankind is Man.
The study of humans should focus on primarily the evolution, position, and welfare of humans. The best study one can do for mankind is the study of man only.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
People with a lack of knowledge and a good sense of judgment often get into doing work that even the wisest men avoid. Fools don't judge and analyze a situation properly, whereas wiser men think about the outcomes and reason for doing any such work.
Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.
Beauty and physical appearance might catch someone's eyes, but that is a momentary admiration. Your quality and talent are what leaves a mark on other's heart. Everyone gets mesmerized by true merit and a wonderful personality.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot.
A little knowledge is harmful, and so is a lot of knowledge. When you have little knowledge, you only believe the half-truth and conceive ideas with lack of clarity, whereas when you know a lot, you try to show people how knowledgeable you are; you often focus on how much you know and don't try to learn from others. One should always know true facts about something and then try to learn from others as well.
Continue reading some of the best Alexander Pope Quotes...
Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.
Disappointment is an outcome of expectation. When you expect something from someone, and if things turn out differently, you get disappointed. When you don't expect anything from anyone, you become happy with whatever you get.
To err is human, to forgive, divine.
Humans often make mistakes. Making mistakes is an aspect of human life. But those who forgive are divine beings. Forgiveness is an act of courage; it requires one to be selfless and accept whatever wrong has been done to them. One should always forgive because all of us make mistakes, and that's what makes us human.
Man never thinks himself happy, but when he enjoys those things which others want or desire.
Man can never get satisfied or happy with what he has. He is always in the race of being better than others. He becomes happy only when he knows that he possesses those things that others wish to have or desire. Then only he becomes satisfied in life.
An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie; for an excuse is a lie guarded.
As we all know that "losers give excuses and winners give results". Giving excuses is worse than a lie because if you wish to do anything, no reason is strong enough to stop you, but when you practice telling excuses, you know nobody is going to punish you for that, and it becomes a safe escape for you.
Act well your part; there all the honor lies.
We, as humans, are more inclined towards other's actions. Often we do something and look for the results of our actions. We should never do that. Acting well, doing good lies in our hands, and we should do that; it shows who we are and how others will reciprocate or how things will turn out should not be our concern.
Few more Alexander Pope Quotes....
Words are like leaves; and where they most abound; Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found.
Words are the most powerful weapon. One should always know how much and what all he should speak. The wiser you get, the less you speak. Those who speak a lot are often the foolish ones.
A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.
One should never be ashamed of his wrongdoings in the past. It is a sign of growth and strength. It acknowledges the fact that one has been on the gloomy side, but now he has evolved as a person and has become wiser than before.
True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. As those move easiest who have learn'd to dance.
One should not look for chances. Those who write can practice that form of art anytime. He should try to excel in it as much as he can. Just like the people who have learned to dance can move easily, in the same manner, those who practice writing can write whenever he is offered to do so.
Our judgments, like our watches, none go just alike, yet each believes his own.
Every one of us is unique in our way. Just like watches that don't go alike, each of us has different beliefs and thoughts, believing them to be true. We have diverse opinions and beliefs, and for each individual, they are true.
Death, only death, can break the lasting chain; And here, ev'n then, shall my cold dust remain.
Death is the ultimate end to everything. It persists in this world long after we are gone. Death separates us from our loved ones and from this world, too, but we don't actually die with death; we might die physically, but our thoughts, our works, and our personality live beyond death.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
God's noblest creation is the creation of an honest man. Being honest and true in this world of fakeness is an act of greatness. An honest man is like a divine being. He knows his power of being honest, and it makes him reach heights in life.
Some more Alexander Pope Quotes...
While pensive poets painful vigils keep, Sleepless themselves, to give their readers sleep.
The poets and writers deserve a lot more respect than they actually get. They keep vigil all night and work hard to comfort the readers. They suffer just to create something which will make the readers fall in love with the work and comfort them.
Sure flattery never traveled so far as three thousand miles; it is now only for truth, which overtakes all things, to reach you at this distance.
Flattery won't take you to heights. Flatterers can only reach certain heights, but truth can take you to any place you wish to be. A truthful person succeeds a lot more in life.
We may see the small Value God has for Riches, by the People he gives them to.
One should never be proud of the wealth one has. We should always remember that God doesn't have much value for riches. A noble personality is worth more than gold and diamonds.
To be angry is to revenge the faults of others on ourselves.
Being angry is like taking revenge on ourselves. One should never get angry and waste his energy on that. It makes things worse than before. One should try to become and composed and handle the situation wisely. He should not waste his anger and make things bitter than before.
