Every quotation a nineteenth-century speaker or writer might want, grouped under its subject, with the author, the date and the source given as exactly as Hoyt could manage.
187 quotations from The Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations (1896), with the subject each one is filed under.
At every close she made, th' attending throng Replied, and bore the burden of the song : So just, so small, yet in so sweet a note, It seemed the music melted in the throat.— filed under Singers
Essay VIII. Could swell the soul to rage, or kindle soft desire.— filed under Ability
For women with a mischief to their kind, Pervert with bad advice our better mind.— filed under Advice
AGE (OLD.) The Disappointment of Manhood succeeds to the delusion of Youth; let us hope that the heritage of Old Age is not Despair. DISRAELI (Earl Beaconsfield)- Vivian Grey. Bk. VIII. Ch. IV. Youth is a blunder; Manhood a struggle; Old Age a regret. DISRAELI (Earl Beaconsfield)- Coningsby. Bk. III. Ch. I. Fate seem'd to wind him up for fourscore years; Yet freshly ran he on ten winters more; Till like a clock worn out with eating time, The wheels of weary life at last stood still.— filed under Affliction
His hair just grizzled As in a green old age.— filed under Affliction
But wild Ambition loves to slide, not stand, And Fortune's ice prefers to Virtue's land.— filed under Ambition
Let old Timotheus yield the prize Or both divide the crown; He rais'd a mortal to the skies She drew an angel down.— filed under Angels
Beware the fury of a patient man.— filed under Anger
the News from Ghent, Gamaun is a dainty steed, Strong, black, and of a noble breed, Full of fire, and full of bone, With all his line of fathers known; Fine his nose, his nostrils thin, But blown abroad by the pride within. His mane is like a river flowing, And his eyes like embers glowing In the darkness of the night, And his pace as swift as light. BARRY CORNWALL The Blood Horse. All the ten-to-oners were in the rear, and a dark horse, which had never been thought of, and which the careless St. James had never even observed in the list, rushed past the grand stand in sweeping triumph. BENJ. DISRAELI (Earl Beaconsfield)- The Young Duke. Bk. II. Ch. V. The courser paw'd the ground with restless feet, And snorting foam'd, and champ'd the golden bit.— filed under Animals-Horse
A knock-down argument; 'tis but a word and a blow. C.— filed under Argument
Aurora had but newly chased the night, And purpled o'er the sky with blushing light.— filed under Aurora
English Ballads to Me. Thespis, the first professor of our art, At country wakes sung ballads from a cart.— filed under Ballads
other Poems. P. 244. Old as I am, for ladies' love unfit, The power of beauty I remember yet, Which once inflam'd my soul, and still inspires my wit.— filed under Beauty
She, though in full-blown flower of glorious beauty, Grows cold, even in the summer of her age.— filed under Beauty
When beauty fires the blood, how love exalts the mind!— filed under Beauty
As when the dove returning bore the mark Of earth restored to the long labouring ark; The relics of mankind, secure of rest, Oped every window to receive the guest, And the fair bearer of the message bless'd.— filed under Birds-Dove
A goldfinch there I saw, with gawdy pride Of painted plumes, that hopped from side to side.— filed under Birds-Falcon
Bless the hand that gave the blow.— filed under Blessings
Literature. Libraries The spectacles of books.— filed under Books
Santa Anna. Buena Vista. Feb. 22, 1847. The brave man seeks not popular applause, Nor, overpower'd with arms, deserts his cause, Unsham'd, though foil'd, he does the best he can, Force is of brutes, but honor is of man.— filed under Bravery
The god-like hero sate On his imperial throne: His valiant peers were placed around, Their brows with roses and with myrtles bound (So should desert in arms be crowned). The lovely Thais, by his side, Sate like a blooming Eastern bride In flower of youth and beauty's pride. Happy, happy, happy pair! None but the brave, None but the brave, None but the brave deserve the fair.— filed under Bravery
Heaven gave him all at once; then snatched away, Ere mortals all his beauties could survey; Just like the flower that buds and withers in a day.— filed under Change
A man so various, that he seem'd to be Not one, but all mankind's epitome; Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong, Was everything by starts, and nothing long; But in the course of one revolving moon, Was chymist, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon. X.— filed under Character
For every inch that is not fool, is rogue.— filed under Character
Her wit was more than man, her innocence a child.— filed under Character
Plain without pomp, and rich without a show.— filed under Character
So over violent, or over civil, That every man with him was God or Devil.— filed under Character
Thus all below is strength, and all above is grace.— filed under Character
Content with poverty, my soul I arm; And virtue, though in rags, will keep me warm.— filed under Content
He trudged along, unknowing what he sought, And whistled as he went, for want of thought.— filed under Content
Since every man who lives is born to die, And none can boast sincere felicity, With equal mind, what happens let us bear, Nor joy nor grieve too much for things beyond our care. Like pilgrims, to th' appointed place we tend; The world's an inn, and death the journey's end.— filed under Content
And nobler is a limited command, Given by the love of all your native land, Than a successive title, long and dark, Drawn from the mouldy rolls of Noah's Ark.— filed under Country, Love Of
From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began: From harmony, to harmony Through all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapason closing full in man.— filed under Alphonso The Wise
The poorest of the sex have still an itch To know their fortunes, equal to the rich. The dairy-maid inquires, if she shall take The trusty tailor, and the cook forsake.— filed under Curiosity
A daring pilot in extremity; Pleas'd with the danger, when the waves went high He sought the storms.— filed under Danger
Death in itself is nothing; but we fear To be we know not what, we know not where.— filed under Death
He was exhal'd; his great Creator drew His spirit, as the sun the morning dew.— filed under Death
Gentleman. Like a led victim, to my death I'll go, And, dying, bless the hand that gave the blow.— filed under Death
Of no distemper, of no blast he died, But fell like autumn fruit that mellow'd long.— filed under Death
All delays are dangerous in war.— filed under Delay
Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.— filed under Destiny
You can and you can't, You will and you won't; You'll be damn'd if you do, You'll be damn'd if you don't. LORENZO DOw-Chain (Definition of Calvinism). And after hearing what our Church can say, If still our reason runs another way, That private reason 'tis more just to curb, Than by disputes the public peace disturb; For points obscure are of small use to learn, But common quiet is mankind's concern.— filed under Doctrine
Dreams are but interludes, which fancy makes; When monarch reason sleeps, this mimic wakes.— filed under Dreams
Thoughts. Maintain your post: That's all the fame you need; For 'tis impossible you should proceed.— filed under Duty
Comedy "The Double Dealer." Not aw'd to duty by superior sway.— filed under Duty
By education most have been misled.— filed under Education
The Grasshopper. L. 8. GODS (THE). Creator Venus, genial power of love, The bliss of men below, and gods above! Beneath the sliding sun thou runn'st thy race, Dost fairest shine, and best become thy place; For thee the winds their eastern blasts forbear, Thy mouth reveals the spring, and opens all the year; Thee, goddess, thee, the storms of winter fly, Earth smiles with flowers renewing, laughs the sky.— filed under Bias
With ravish'd ears The monarch hears, Assumes the god, Affects to nod, And seems to shake the spheres.— filed under Bias
Epitaph in Deal Churchyard. He was exhal'd; his great Creator drew His spirit, as the sun the morning dew.— filed under And Cared Not How It Blew
Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow; He who would search for pearls, must dive below.— filed under Error
For Art may err, but Nature cannot miss.— filed under Error
Second Series. Xxx. To take up half on trust, and half to try, Name it not faith but bungling bigotry.— filed under Faith
Some truth there was, but dash'd and brew'd with lies, To please the fools, and puzzle all the wise.— filed under Falsehood
Fame then was cheap, and the first courier sped; And they have kept it since, by being dead.— filed under Fame
All human things are subject to decay, And when fate summons, monarchs must obey.— filed under Fate
For those whom God to ruin has design'd, He fits for fate, and first destroys their mind.— filed under Fate
The clouds dispell'd, the sky resum'd her light, And Nature stood recover'd of her fright. But fear, the last of ills, remain'd behind, And horror heavy sat on every mind.— filed under Fear
Whistling to keep myself from being afraid.— filed under Fear
A man so various that he seem'd to be, Not one, but all mankind's epitome. Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong; Was everything by starts, and nothing long; But, in the course of one revolving moon, Was chymist, fiddler, statesman and buffoon.— filed under Fickleness
The rose is fragrant, but it fades in time: The violet sweet, but quickly past the prime : White lilies hang their heads, and soon decay, And white snow in minutes melts away.— filed under Flirting
And still at every close she would repeat The burden of the song. The daisy is so sweet.— filed under Flowers-Dahlia
A tuft of daisies on a flowery lay They saw, and thitherward they bent their way.— filed under Flowers-Daisy
For sycamores with eglantine were spread, A hedge about the sides, a covering overhead.— filed under Flowers-Rose
The fresh eglantine exhaled a breath, Whose odours were of power to raise from death.— filed under Flowers-Rose
Swear, fool, or starve; for the dilemma's even; A tradesman thou! and hope to go to heaven?— filed under Folly
Forgiveness to the injured does belong, But they ne'er pardon who have done the wrong.— filed under Forgiveness
She hugged the offender, and forgave the offense, Sex to the last.— filed under Fortune
Ill fortune seldom comes alone.— filed under Fortune
Let fortune empty her whole quiver on me. I have a soul that, like an ample shield, Can take in all, and verge enough for more.— filed under Fortune
This is the porcelain clay of human kind.— filed under Freedom
I am as free as nature first made man, Ere the base laws of servitude began, When wild in woods the noble savage ran.— filed under Freedom
Be kind to my remains; and O defend, Against your judgment, your departed friend.— filed under Friends
For friendship, of itself a holy tie, Is made more sacred by adversity.— filed under Friendship
But genius must be born, and never can be taught.— filed under Genius
His tribe were God Almighty's gentlemen.— filed under Gentlemen
By tracing Heaven his footsteps may be found: Behcld! how awfully he walks the round! God is abroad, and wondrous in his ways The rise of empires, and their fall surveys.— filed under God
Club." Look around the habitable world, how few Know their own good, or knowing it, pursue.— filed under Goodness
April 25, 1843. Resolv'd to ruin or to rule the state.— filed under Government
Whatever he did, was done with so much ease, In him alone 'twas natural to please.— filed under Grace
Nor can his blessed soul look down from heaven, Or break the eternal sabbath of his rest.— filed under Heaven
Since heaven's eternal year is thine.— filed under Heaven
X. We spirits have just such natures We had for all the world, when human crea tures; And, therefore, I, that was an actress here, Play all my tricks in hell, a goblin there.— filed under Hell
For your ignorance is the mother of your devotion to me.— filed under Ignorance
He trudg'd along, unknowing what he sought, And whistled as he went, for want of thought.— filed under Ignorance
He raised a mortal to the skies; She drew an angel down.— filed under Influence
Deserted, at his utmost need, By those his former bounty fed; On the bare earth exposed he lies, With not a friend to close his eyes.— filed under Ingratitude
And all to leave what with his toil he won, To that unfeather'd two-legged thing, a son.— filed under Inheritance
(Ed. 1891). For those whom God to ruin has designed He fits for fate, and first destroys their mind,— filed under Insanity
There is a pleasure, sure, In being mad, which none but madmen know!— filed under Insanity
Philosophers. Pythagoras. VI. Then hasten to be drunk, the business of the day. и.— filed under Intemperance
a joy, etc. Joy rul'd the day, and Love the night.— filed under Joy
Be kind to my remains; and O, defend, Against your judgment, your departed friend!— filed under Judgment
July 10, 1790. The love of liberty with life is given, And life itself the inferior gift of Heaven. S.— filed under Liberty
Bankrupt of life, yet prodigal of ease.— filed under Life
Take not away the life you cannot give: For all things have an equal right to live.— filed under Life
'Tis not for nothing that we life pursue; It pays our hopes with something still that's new.— filed under Life
When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat; Yet, fooled with hope, men favour the deceit.— filed under Life
Fool, not to know that love endures no tie, And Jove but laughs at lovers' perjury.— filed under Love
Give, you gods, Give to your boy, your Cæsar, The rattle of a globe to play withal, This gewgaw world, and put him cheaply off; I'll not be pleased with less than Cleopatra.— filed under Love
Pains of love be sweeter far Than all other pleasures are.— filed under Love
from a Dangerous Illness. His tribe were God Almighty's men.— filed under Bright Of Disraeli
This is the porcelain clay of humankind.— filed under Bright Of Disraeli
A very merry, dancing, drinking, Laughing, quaffing, and unthinking time.— filed under Merriment
Fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen, Fallen from his high estate, And welt'ring in his blood; Deserted at his utmost need, By those his former bounty fed; On the bare earth expos'd he lies, With not a friend to close his eyes.— filed under Misfortune
I saw myself the lambent easy light Gild the brown horror, and dispel the night.— filed under Morning
Murder may pass unpunish'd for a time, But tardy justice will o'ertake the crime.— filed under Murder
The soft complaining flute In dying notes discovers The woes of hopeless lovers, Whose dirge is whisper'd by the warbling lute. C.— filed under Music
By viewing nature, nature's handmaid, art, Makes mighty things from small beginnings grow; Thus fishes first to shipping did impart, Their tail the rudder, and their head the prow.— filed under Nature
Whate'er he did, was done with so much ease, In him alone 't was natural to please.— filed under Nature
Then 'tis our best, since thus ordained to die, To make a virtue of necessity.— filed under Necessity
Ay, these look like the workmanship of heaven; This is the porcelain clay of human kind, And therefore cast into these noble moulds.— filed under Nobility
Style. The unhappy man, who once has trail'd a pen, Lives not to please himself, but other men; Is always drudging, wastes his life and blood, Yet only eats and drinks what you think good.— filed under Occupations-Alchemy
Ever a glutton, at another's cost, But in whose kitchen dwells perpetual frost.— filed under Occupations-Cabinet-Making
When taken To be well shaken. GEORGE COLMAN (the Younger)-Broad Grins. The Newcastle Apothecary. St. 12. Take a little rum The less you take the better, Pour it in the lakes Of Wener or of Wetter. Dip a spoonful out And mind you don't get groggy, Pour it in the lake Of Winnipissiogie. Stir the mixture well Lest it prove inferior, Then put half a drop Into Lake Superior. Every other day Take a drop in water, You'll be better soon Or at least you oughter. RT. REV. BISHOP G. W. DOANE-Lines on Homeopathy. Better to hunt in fields for health unbought, Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught. The wise for cure on exercise depend; God never made his work for man to mend.— filed under Occupations-Law
So liv'd our sires, ere doctors learn'd to kill, And multiplied with theirs the weekly bill.— filed under Occupations-Law
Terrible he rode alone, With his yemen sword for aid; Ornament it carried none But the notches on the blade. The Death Feud. An Arab War Song. St. 14. Tait's Edinburgh Magazine. July, 1850. Mouths without hands; maintained at vast expense, In peace a charge, in war a weak defense: Stout once a month they march, a blustering band, And ever, but in times of need, at hand. C.— filed under Occupations-Military
A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea. Skill'd in the globe and sphere, he gravely stands, And, with his compass, measures seas and lands. C.— filed under Occupations-Navigation
Picture. Hard features every bungler can command: To draw true beauty shows a master's hand.— filed under Occupations-Navigation
(Ed. 1891.) Belshazzar had a Letter. The welcome news is in the letter found; The carrier's not commission'd to expound; It speaks itself, and what it does contain, In all things needful to be known, is plain.— filed under Occupations-Painting
Pottery. Thou spring'st a leak already in thy crown, A flaw is in thy ill-bak'd vessel found; 'Tis hollow, and returns a jarring sound, Yet thy moist clay is pliant to command, Unwrought, and easy to the potter's hand: Now take the mould; now bend thy mind to feel The first sharp motions of the forming wheel.— filed under Occupations-Post
The proud he tam'd, the penitent he cheer'd: Nor to rebuke the rich offender fear'd. His preaching much, but more his practice wrought; (A living sermon of the truths he taught;) For this by rules severe his life he squar'd: That all might see the doctrines which they heard.— filed under Occupations-Preaching
Misery. Tonsorial. With odorous oil thy head and hair are sleek; And then thou kemb'st the tuzzes on thy cheek: Of these, my barbers take a costly care.— filed under Occupations-Tobacconists
Rich the treasure, Sweet the pleasure, Sweet is pleasure after pain.— filed under Pain
Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.— filed under Passion
Party. For pity melts the mind to love. Softly sweet, in Lydian measures, Soon he sooth'd his soul to pleasures. War, he sung, is toil and trouble; Honour but an empty bubble. S.— filed under Pity
Rich the treasure, Sweet the pleasure, Sweet is pleasure after pain— filed under Aaron Burr
and Rhyme. Doeg, though without knowing how or why, Made still a blundering kind of melody; Spurr'd boldly on, and dash'd through thick and thin, Through sense and nonsense, never out nor in; Free from all meaning whether good or bad, And in one word, heroically mad.— filed under Poetry
Happy who in his verse can gently steer From grave to light, from pleasant to severe.— filed under Poetry
Three poets in three distant ages born, Greece, Italy, and England did adorn. The first in loftiness of thought surpass'd; The next, in majesty; in both, the last. The force of nature could no further go; To make a third, she join'd the former two.— filed under Poets
For what can power give more than food and drink, To live at ease, and not be bound to think?— filed under Power
She knows her man, and when you rant and swear, Can draw you to her with a single hair.— filed under Power
Our vows are heard betimes! and Heaven takes care To grant, before we can conclude the prayer.— filed under Prayer
Soothed with the sound, the king grew vain; Fought all his battles o'er again; And thrice he routed all his foes; and thrice he slew the slain.— filed under Pride
God made bees, and bees made honey, God made man, and man made money; Pride made the devil, and the devil made sin; So God made a cole-pit to put the devil in. Transcribed by JAMES HENRY DIXON, from the fly-sheet of a Bible, belonging to a pitman who resided near Hutton- Henry, in County of Denham. Whatever is, is in its causes just.— filed under Providence
According to her cloth she cut her coat.— filed under Prudence
But 'tis the talent of our English nation, Still to be plotting some new reformation.— filed under Reformation
The remedy is worse than the disease.— filed under Results
Here lies our sovereign lord, the king, Whose word no man relies on, Who never said a foolish thing, And never did a wise one. Said by a Courtier of Charles II. (ROCHESTER?) To which the King replied, "That is very true, for my words are my own. My actions are my minister's." And kind as kings upon their coronation day. the— filed under Royalty
And that the Scriptures, though not everywhere Free from corruption, or entire, or clear, Are uncorrupt, sufficient, clear, entire In all things which our needful faith require.— filed under Scripture
Him of the western dome, whose weighty sense Flows in fit words and heavenly eloquence.— filed under Sense
But Shakespeare's magic could not copied be; Within that circle none durst walk but he.— filed under Shakespeare
Subsec. VI. Love taught him shame, and shame, with love at strife, Soon taught the sweet civilities of life.— filed under Shame
Sigh'd and look'd, and sigh'd again.— filed under Sighs
A horrid stillness first invades the ear, And in that silence we the tempest fear.— filed under Silence
And heaven had wanted one immortal song.— filed under Song
A fiery soul, which, working out its way, Fretted the pygmy-body to decay, And o'er-inform'd the tenement of clay.— filed under Sorrow
I have a soul that, like an ample shield, Can take in all, and verge enough for more.— filed under Sorrow
Who climbs the grammar-tree, distinctly knows Where noun, and verb, and participle grows. S.— filed under Students
The fool of nature stood with stupid eyes And gaping mouth, that testified surprise.— filed under Stupidity
The glorious lamp of heaven, the radiant sun, Is Nature's eye.— filed under Summer
My right eye itches, some good luck is near.— filed under Superstition
Our souls sit close and silently within, And their own web from their own entrails spin; And when eyes meet far off, our sense is such, That, spider like, we feel the tenderest touch. S.— filed under Sympathy
But far more numerous was the herd of such, Who think too little, and who talk too much.— filed under Talk
১ What precious drops are those, Which silently each other's track pursue, Bright as young diamonds in their infant dew?— filed under Tears
Second thoughts, they say, are best.— filed under Thought
Happy the man, and happy he alone, He, who can call to-day his own: He who, secure within, can say, To-morrow, do thy worst, for I have liv'd to-day. C.— filed under To-Day
Treason is not own'd when 'tis descried; Successful crimes alone are justified.— filed under Treason
Burthorp Oak. The monarch oak, the patriarch of the trees, Shoots rising up, and spreads by slow degrees. Three centuries he grows, and three he stays Supreme in state; and in three more decays.— filed under Trees And Plants-Oak
C. D. Yonge's trans. For truth has such a face and such a mien, As to be lov'd needs only to be seen.— filed under Truth
Sooth'd with the sound, the king grew vain : Fought all his battles o'er again; And thrice he routed all his foes, and thrice he slew the slain.— filed under Vanity
And virtue, though in rags, will keep me warm.— filed under Virtue
The people's prayer, the glad diviner's theme! The young men's vision, and the old men's dream!— filed under Visions
War, he sung, is toil and trouble; Honour but an empty bubble.— filed under War
You know I met you, Kist you, and prest you close within my arms, With all the tenderness of wifely love.— filed under Wife
The winds that never moderation knew, Afraid to blow too much, too faintly blew; Or out of breath with joy, could not enlarge Their straighten'd lungs or conscious of their charge.— filed under Wind
Ev'n wit's a burthen, when it talks too long.— filed under Wit
Great wits are sure to madness near allied, And thin partitions do their bounds divide.— filed under Wit
Wit will shine Through the harsh cadence of a rugged line.— filed under Wit
น. Mistress. Man was made when Nature was But an apprentice, but woman when she Was a skilful mistress of her art. Cupid's Whirligig. 1607. And, like another Helen, fir'd another Troy.— filed under Woman
And that one hunting, which the devil design'd For one fair female, lost him half the kind.— filed under Woman
A woman's counsel brought us first to woe, And made her man his paradise forego, Where at heart's ease he liv'd; and might have been As free from sorrow as he was from sin.— filed under Woman
I am resolved to grow fat and look young till forty, and then slip out of the world with the first wrinkle and the reputation of five and twenty.— filed under Woman
She hugg'd the offender, and forgave the offence; Sex to the last.— filed under Woman
Long stood the noble youth oppress'd with awe, And stupid at the wondrous things he saw, Surpassing common faith, transgressing nature's law.— filed under Wonders
And torture one poor word ten thousand ways.— filed under Words
The world's an inn, and death the journey's end. (— filed under Work
Youth should watch joys and shoot them as they fly.— filed under Wrongs