John Webster
John Webster
John Websterwas an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, which are often regarded as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and career overlapped William Shakespeare's...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPlaywright
heaven strive
Heaven fashioned us of nothing; and we strive to bring ourselves to nothing.
wisdom folly
For the subtlest folly proceeds from the subtlest wisdom.
play world theater
I account this world a tedious theater, For I do play a part in 't 'gainst my will.
husband spring law
How many ills spring from adultery? First the supreme law that is violated, Nobility oft stain'd with bastardy, Inheritance of land falsely possessed, The husband scorn'd, wife sham'd, and babes unbless'd.
lust girdles whips
Lust carries her sharp whip At her own girdle.
honesty heaven being-honest
Were there no heaven nor hell I should be honest.
misery born dare
The misery of us, that are born great, We are forced to woo because none dare woo us.
motivational smart knowledge-is-power
Knowledge Is Power! Train smart and obtain power!
long wages virtue
I have long served virtue, And never ta'en wages of her.
men
Woman to man Is either a God or a wolfe.
children tears cold
See, the curse of children! In life they keep us frequently in tears, And in the cold grave leave us in pale fears.
health gold hours
Gold that buys health can never be ill spent, Nor hours laid out in harmless merriment.
duchess stills
I am Duchess of Malfi still.
sweetness
Love mixed with fear is sweetness.