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Speech: Quotations from Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations
And let him be sure to leave other men their turns to speak.— BACON — Essays. Civil and Moral. Of Discourse. No. 32.
Discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words or in good order.— BACON — Essays. Of Discourse.
For brevity is very good, Where we are, or are not understood.— BUTLER — Hudibras. Pt. I. Canto I. L. 669.
He who does not make his words rather serve to conceal than discover the sense of his heart deserves to have it pulled out like a traitor's and shown publicly to the rabble.— BUTLER — The Modern Politician.
His speech was a fine sample, on the whole, Ofrhetoric, which the learn'd call "rigmarole."— BYRON — Don Juan. Canto I. St. 174.
Boys flying kites haul in their white winged birds; You can't do that way when you're flying words. "Careful with fire," is good advice we know, "Careful with words," is ten times doubly so. Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead; But God Himself can't kill them when they're said.— WILL CARLETON — The First Settler's Story. St. 21.
Speak not at all, in any wise, till you have somewhat to speak; care not for the reward of your speaking, but simply and with undivided mind for the truth of your speaking.— CARLYLE — Essays. Biography.
He mouths a sentence as curs mouth a bone.— CHURCHILL — The Rosiad. L. 322.
Think all you speak; but speak not all you think: Thoughts are your own; your words are so no more. Where Wisdom steers, wind cannot make you sink: Lips never err, when she does keep the door.— DELAUNE — Epigram.
As a vessel is known by the sound, whether it be cracked or not; so men are proved, by their speeches, whether they be wise or foolish.
Know when to speake; for many times it brings Danger to give the best advice to kings.— HERRICK — Hesperides. Caution in
Councell. In man speaks God.— HESIOD — Works and Days.
The flowering moments of the mind Drop half their petals in our speech.— O. W. HOLMES — To My Readers. St. 11.
And endless are the modes of speech, and far Extends from side to side the field of words.— HOMER — Iliad. Bk. XX. L. 315.
Bryant's trans. Speak gently! 'tis a little thing Dropp'd in the heart's deep well: The good, the joy, that it may bring Eternity shall tell.— G. W. LANGFORD — Speak Gently.
It is never so difficult to speak as when we are ashamed of our silence.— LA ROCHEFOUCAULD — Maxims. No. 178.
Speech was made to open man to man, and not to hide him; to promote commerce, and not betray it.— DAVID LLOYD — State Worthies.
When Adam first of men, To first of women Eve, thus moving speech, Turn'd him all ear to hear new utterance flow.— MILTON — Paradise Lost. Bk. IV. L. 408.
Speech is like cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as in packs.— PLUTARCH — Life of Themistocles.
Just at the age 'twixt boy and youth, When thought is speech, and speech is truth.— SCOTT — Marmion. Canto II.
Introduction. I had a thing to say, But I will fit it with some better time.— Shakespeare — King John. Act III. Sc. 3. L. 25.
I would be loath to cast away my speech, for besides that it is excellently well penn'd, I have taken great pains to con it.— Shakespeare — Twelfth Night. Act I. Sc. 5. L. 183.
Rude am I in my speech, And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace; For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith, Till now some nine moons wasted, they have us'd Their dearest action in the tented field, And little of this great world can I speak, More than pertains to feats of broil and battle, And therefore little shall I grace my cause In speaking for myself.— Shakespeare — Othello. Act I. Sc. 3. L. 81.
SOUL (THE). Imago animi vultus est, indices oculi. The countenance is the portrait of the soul, and the eyes mark its intentions.— CICERO — De Oratore. III. 59.
Ignoratur enim, quæ sit natura animai; Nata sit, an contra nascentibus insinuetur; Et simul intereat nobiscum, morte diremta, An tenebras Orci visat, vastasque lacunas: An pecudes alias divinitus insinuet se. For it is unknown what is the real nature of the soul, whether it be born with the bodily frame or be infused at the moment of birth, whether it perishes along with us, when death separates the soul and body, or whether it visits the shades of Pluto and bottomless pits, or enters by divine appointment into other animals.— LUCRETIUS — De Rerum Natura. I. 113.
Deus est in pectore nostro. There is a divinity within our breast.— OVID — Epistolæ Ex Ponto. III. 4. 93.
Est deus in nobis, et sunt commercia cœli. Sedibus ætheriis spiritus ille venit. There is a god within us, and we have intercourse with heaven. That spirit comes from abodes on high.— OVID — Ars Amatoria. III. 549.
Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio. In laboring to be concise, I become obscure.— HORACE — Ars Poetica. XXV.
Lingua mali pars pessima servi. The tongue is the vile slave's vilest part.— JUVENAL — Satiræ. IX. 120.
Sæpe tacens vocem verbaque vultus habet. The silent countenance often speaks.— OVID — Ars Amatoria. I. 574.
Odiosa est oratio, cum rem agas, longinquum loqui. It is a tiresome way of speaking, when you should despatch the business, to beat about the bush.— PLAUTUS — Mercator. III. 4. 23.
Sermoni huic obsonas. You drown him by your talk. S.— PLAUTUS — Pseudolus. I. 2. 74.
De mortuis nil nisi bonum. Concerning the dead nothing but good shall be spoken. Translated from PLUTARCH-Life of Solon. Absenti nemo ne nocuisse velit. Let no one be willing to speak ill of the absent.— PROPERTIUS — Elegiæ. II. 19. 32.
Deus ille princeps, parens rerum fabricatorque mundi, nullo magis hominem separavit a ceteris, quæ quidem mortalia sunt, animalibus, quam dicendi facultate. God, that all-powerful Creator of nature and Architect of the world, has impressed man with no character so proper to disguish him from other animals, as by the faculty of speech.— QUINTILIAN — De Institutione Oratoria.
II. 17. 2. Talis hominibus est oratio qualis vita. Men's conversation is like their life.— SENECA — Epistolæ Ad Lucilium. 114.
Sæpius locutum, nunquam me tacuisse pœnitet. I have often regretted having spoken, never having kept silent. C.— SYRUS — Maxims.
Sermo animi est imago; qualis vir, talis et oratio est. Conversation is the image of the mind; as the man, so is his speech.— SYRUS — Maxims.
Nullum est jam dictum quod non dictum sit prius. Nothing is said nowadays that has not been said before.— TERENCE — Eunuchus. Prologue. XLI.
Vox faucibus hæsit. My voice stuck in my throat.— VIRGIL — Eneid. II. 774. III. 48.
A raconter ses maux souvent on les soulage. By speaking of our misfortunes we often relieve them.— CORNEILLE — Polyeucte. I. 3.
Faire de la prose sans le savoir. To speak prose without knowing it.— MOLIÈRE — Bourgeois Gentilhomme.
II. 6. Ils n'emploient les paroles que pour déguiser leurs pensées. They only employ words to disguise their thoughts.— VOLTAIRE — Dialogues. XIV.
Le Chapon et la Poularde. Je vous ferai un impromptu à loisir. I shall make you an impromptu at my leisure. S.— MOLIÈRE — Les Précieuses Ridicules. I.
12. La parole a été donnée à l'homme pour déguiser sa pensée. Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.— TALLEYRAND — See BARÈRE'S Mémoires.
Le cœur sent rarement ce que la bouche ex prime. The heart seldom feels what the mouth expresses.— CAMPISTRON — Pompeia. XI. 5.
Quand on se fait entendre, on parle toujours bien, Et tous vos beaux dictons ne servent de rien. When we are understood, we always speak well, and then all your fine diction serves no purpose.— MOLIÈRE — Les Femmes Savantes. II. 6.
Revenons à nos moutons. To return to the subject.— PIERRE BLANCHET — L' Avocat Pathelin.
Tout ce qu'on dit de trop est fade et rebutant. That which is repeated too often becomes insipid and tedious.— BOILEAU — L'Art Poétique. I. 61.
Voulez-vous qu'on croie du bien de vous? N'en dites point. Do you wish people to speak well of you? Then do not speak at all yourself.— PASCAL — Pensées. VI. 59.
Du sprichst ein grosses Wort gelassen aus. Thou speakest a word of great moment calmly.— GOETHE — Iphigenia auf Tauris. I. 3.
88. 1. Er spricht Unsinn; für den Vernünftigen Menschen giebt es gar keinen Zufall. He talks nonsense; to a sensible man there is no such thing as chance.— LUDWIG TIECK — Fortunat.
Man lernt Verschwiegenheit am meisten unter Menschen, die Keine haben-und Plauderhaftigheit unter Verschwiegenen. One learns taciturnity best among people who have none, and loquacity among the taciturn.— JEAN PAUL RICHTER — Hesperus. XII.
Was ist der langen Rede kurzer Sinn? What is the short meaning of this long harangue?— SCHILLER — Piccolomini. I. 2. 160.
Chi parla troppo non può parlar sempre bene. He who talks much cannot always talk well.— GOLDONI — Pamela. I. 6.
Lo tuo ver dir m'incuora Buona umiltà e gran tumor m'appiani. The truth thy speech doth show, within my heart reproves the swelling pride.— DANTE — Purgatorio. XI. 118.