William Congreve
William Congreve
William Congrevewas an English playwright and poet...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPlaywright
Date of Birth24 January 1670
art phrases remnants
Thou art a retailer of phrases, and dost deal in remnants of remnants.
atheist pimp atheism
Turn pimp, flatterer, quack, lawyer, parson, be chaplain to an atheist, or stallion to an old woman, anything but a poet; for a poet is worse, more servile, timorous and fawning than any I have named.
lying thinking speak
All well bred persons lie – Besides, you are a woman; you must never speak what you think…
fellows
Hannibal was a very pretty fellow in those days.
men forgiving goodness
Men are apt to offend ('tis true) where they find most goodness to forgive.
honesty thieves treasure
He that first cries out stop thief, is often he that has stolen the treasure.
country diversion loathe
I nauseate walking; 'tis a country diversion, I loathe the country.
hate writing hair
O ay, letters - I had letters - I am persecuted with letters - I hate letters - nobody knows how to write letters; and yet one has 'em, one does not know why - they serve one to pin up one's hair.
wise blessed self
If happiness in self-content is placed, The wise are wretched, and fools only blessed.
theatre please hard
How hard a thing 'twould be to please you all.
business vices kind
It is the business of a comic poet to paint the vices and follies of human kind.
love ambition mind
Love's but a frailty of the mind, When 'tis not with ambition joined.
men two wife
Though marriage makes man and wife one flesh, it leaves 'em still two fools.
beauty decay arguing
A wit should no more be sincere, than a woman constant; one argues a decay of parts, as to other of beauty.