1
If I am right, Thy grace impart Still in the right to stay; If I am wrong, O, teach my heart To find that better way!Alexander Pope
2
Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, Let Newton be! and all was light.Alexander Pope
3
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.Alexander Pope
4
Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.Alexander Pope
5
Hope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never Is, but always To be blest. The soul, uneasy, and confin'd from home, Rests and expatiates in a life to come.Alexander Pope
6
Thus let me live, unseen, unknown; Thus unlamented let me die; Steal from the world, and not a stone Tell where I lie.Alexander Pope
7
Wise wretch! with pleasures too refined to please, With too much spirit to be e'er at ease, With too much quickness ever to be taught, With too much thinking to have common thought: You purchase pain with all that joy can give, And die of nothing but a rage to live.Alexander Pope
8
A little learning is a dangerous thing. Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring;There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.Alexander Pope
9
Know then thyself, presume not God to scan, The proper study of mankind is Man.Placed on this isthmus of a middle state, A being darkly wise and rudely great: With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side, With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride, He hangs between, in doubt to act or rest; In doubt to deem himself a God or Beast;In doubt his mind or body to prefer; Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err; Alike in ignorance, his reason such, Whether he thinks too little or too much; Chaos of thought and passion, all confused; Still by himself abused or disabused; Created half to rise, and half to fall; Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all; Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurl'd; The glory, jest, and riddle of the world! Go, wondrous creature! mount where science guides, Go, measure earth, weigh air, and state the tides; Instruct the planets in what orbs to run, Correct old time, and regulate the sun; Go, soar with Plato to th’ empyreal sphere, To the first good, first perfect, and first fair; Or tread the mazy round his followers trod, And quitting sense call imitating God;As Eastern priests in giddy circles run, And turn their heads to imitate the sun. Go, teach Eternal Wisdom how to rule– Then drop into thyself, and be a fool! .Alexander Pope
10
Beauties in vain their pretty eyes may roll; Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.Alexander Pope
11
To wake the soul by tender strokes of art, To raise the genius, and to mend the heartAlexander Pope
12
True Wit is Nature to advantage dress'd What oft was thought, but ne'er so well express'd; Something whose truth convinced at sight we find, That gives us back the image of our mind. As shades more sweetly recommend the light, So modest plainness sets off sprightly wit.Alexander Pope
13
The Wit of Cheats, the Courage of a Whore, Are what ten thousand envy and adore: All, all look up, with reverential Awe, At crimes that 'scape, or triumph o'er the Law:While Truth, Worth, Wisdom, daily they decry-`' Nothing is sacred now but Villainy'- Epilogue to the Satires, Dialogue IAlexander Pope
14
Remembrance and reflection how allied! What thin partitions Sense from Thought divide!Alexander Pope
15
Some who grow dull religious straight commence And gain in morals what they lose in sense.Alexander Pope
16
Music resembles poetry, in each Are nameless graces which no methods teach, And which a master hand alone can reach.Alexander Pope
17
In pride, in reasoning pride, our error lies; All quit their sphere and rush into the skies. Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes, Men would be angels, angels would be gods. Aspiring to be gods, if angels fell, Aspiring to be angels, men rebel.Alexander Pope
18
Yes, I am proud; I must be proud to see Men not afraid of God afraid of me.Alexander Pope
19
Next o'er his books his eyes began to roll, In pleasing memory of all he stole.Alexander Pope
20
In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold; Alike fantastic, if too new, or old: Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.Alexander Pope
21
Know thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is man.Alexander Pope
22
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot.Alexander Pope
23
For he lives twice who can at once employ, The present well, and e’en the past enjoy.Alexander Pope
24
Order is heaven's first law.Alexander Pope
25
We think our fathers fools, so wise we grow. Our wiser sons, no doubt will think us so.Alexander Pope
26
Oh let me live my own! and die so too! ("To live and die is all I have to do:") Maintain a poet's dignity and ease, And see what friends, and read what books I please.Alexander Pope
27
Men, some to business take, some to pleasure take; but every woman is at heart a rakeAlexander Pope
28
What then remains, but well our power to use, And keep good humour still whate’er we lose? And trust me, dear, good humour can prevail, When airs, and flights, and screams, and scolding fail. Beauties in vain their pretty eyes may roll; Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soulAlexander Pope
29
To err is human, to forgive, divine.Alexander Pope
30
True wit is nature to advantage dressed; What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed.Alexander Pope
31
If it be the chief point of friendship to comply with a friend's notions and inclinations he possesses this is an eminent degree; he lies down when I sit, and walks when I walk, which is more that many good friends can pretend to do.Alexander Pope
32
What Reason weaves, by Passion is undone.Alexander Pope
33
Chaos of thought and passion, all confus'd.Alexander Pope
34
Words are like Leaves; and where they most abound, Much Fruit of Sense beneath is rarely found.Alexander Pope
35
While pensive poets painful vigils keep, Sleepless themselves, to give their readers sleep.Alexander Pope
36
Where beams of imagination play, The memory's soft figures melt away.Alexander Pope
37
Trust not yourself; but your defects to know, Make use of ev'ry friend–and ev'ry foe.Alexander Pope
38
Happy the man, whose wish and care A few paternal acres bound, Content to breathe his native air In his own ground.Alexander Pope
39
Those half-learn'd witlings, num'rous in our isle As half-form'd insects on the banks of NileAlexander Pope
40
To be angry is to revenge the faults of others on ourselves.Alexander Pope
41
Know then thyself; presume not God to scan, The proper study of mankind is Man.Placed on this isthmus of a middle state, A being darkly wise and rudely great: With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side, And too much weakness for the Stoic's pride, He hangs between; in doubt to act or rest; In doubt to deem himself a God or Beast;In doubt his mind or body to prefer; Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err. Alike in ignorance, his reason such, Whether he thinks too little or too much.Alexander Pope
42
Then say not man's imperfect, Heav'n in fault;. Say rather, man's as perfect as he ought.Alexander Pope
43
Heav'n from all creatures hides the book of Fate, All but the page prescrib'd, their present state; From brutes what men, from men what spirits know: Or who could suffer Being here below? The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day, Had he thy Reason, would he skip and play? Pleas'd to the last, he crops the flow'ry food, And licks the hand just rais'd to shed his blood. Oh blindness to the future! kindly giv'n, That each may fill the circle mark'd by Heav'n; Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, A hero perish, or a sparrow fall.Alexander Pope
44
For forms of Government let fools contest. Whate'er is best administered is best.Alexander Pope
45
Nature to all things fixed the limits fit And wisely curbed proud man's pretending wit. As on the land while here the ocean gains. In other parts it leaves wide sandy plains Thus in the soul while memory prevails, The solid power of understanding fails Where beams of warm imagination play, The memory's soft figures melt away One science only will one genius fit, So vast is art, so narrow human wit Not only bounded to peculiar arts, But oft in those confined to single parts Like kings, we lose the conquests gained before, By vain ambition still to make them more Each might his several province well command, Would all but stoop to what they understand.Alexander Pope
46
Philosophy, that leaned on Heaven before, Shrinks to her second cause, and is no more.Alexander Pope
47
We may see the small Value God has for Riches, by the People he gives theAlexander Pope
48
Know thy own point: this kind, this due degree Of blindness, weakness, Heav'n bestows on thee.Alexander Pope
49
The pride of aiming at more knowledge, and pretending to more perfection, is the cause of Man's error and misery.Alexander Pope
50
All this dread order break- for whom? for thee? Vile worm! - oh madness! pride! impiety!Alexander Pope
51
Ye sacred nineAlexander Pope
52
There is no study that is not capable of delighting us, after a little application to it.Alexander Pope
53
Poetic justice, with her lifted scale, Where, in nice balance, truth with gold she weighs, And solid pudding against empty praise. Here she beholds the chaos dark and deep, Where nameless somethings in their causes sleep, Till genial Jacob, or a warm third day, Call forth each mass, a poem, or a play: How hints, like spawn, scarce quick in embryo lie, How new-born nonsense first is taught to cry.Alexander Pope
54
Make use of every friend– and every foe.Alexander Pope
55
Let Sporus tremble – "What? that thing of silk, Sporus, that mere white curd of ass's milk? Satire or sense, alas! can Sporus feel? Who breaks a Butterfly upon a Wheel?"Yet let me flap this Bug with gilded wings, This painted Child of Dirt that stinks and stings; Whose Buzz the Witty and the Fair annoys, Yet Wit ne'er tastes, and Beauty ne'er enjoys,Alexander Pope
56
Inscriptions here of various Names I view'd, The greater part by hostile time subdu'd; Yet wide was spread their fame in ages past, And Poets once had promis'd they should last.Alexander Pope
57
Presumptuous Man! the reason wouldst thou find, Why form'd so weak, so little, and so blind? First, if thou canst, the harder reason guess, Why form'd no weaker, blinder, and no less! Ask of thy mother earth, why oaks are made Taller or stronger than the weeds they shade? Or ask of yonder argent fields above, Why Jove's Satellites are less than Jove?Alexander Pope
58
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.Alexander Pope
59
For when success a lover's toil attends, Few ask, if fraud or force attain'd his endsAlexander Pope
60
Most critics, fond of subservient artstill make the whole depend upon a part. They talk of principles, but notions prize And all to one loved folly sacrifice.Alexander Pope
61
Some judge of authors' names, not works, and then nor praise nor blame the writings, but the men.Alexander Pope
62
I am his Highness' dog at Kew;Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?Alexander Pope
63
The difference is too nice - Where ends the virtue or begins the vice.Alexander Pope
64
Like bubbles on the sea of matter borne, they rise, they break, and to that sea return.Alexander Pope
65
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.Alexander Pope
66
What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things, ...Alexander Pope
67
How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’dAlexander Pope
68
Death, only death, can break the lasting chain; And here, ev'n then, shall my cold dust remainAlexander Pope
69
For fools admire but men of sense approve.Alexander Pope
70
I never knew any man in my life who could not bear another's misfortunes perfectly like a Christian.Alexander Pope
71
When two people compliment each other with the choice of anything each of them generally gets that which he likes least.Alexander Pope
72
All are but parts of one stupendous whole Whose body Nature is and God the soul.Alexander Pope
73
Till tired he sleeps and life's poor play is o'er.Alexander Pope
74
Men would be angels Angels would be gods.Alexander Pope
75
There St. John mingles with my friendly bowl The feat of reason and the flow of soul.Alexander Pope
76
Thus education forms the common mind Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined.Alexander Pope
77
'Tis education forms the common mind Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined.Alexander Pope
78
To err is human to forgive divine.Alexander Pope
79
An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie for an excuse is a lie guarded.Alexander Pope
80
Be not the first by whom the new are tried Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.Alexander Pope
81
The feast of reason and the flow of soul.Alexander Pope
82
For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.Alexander Pope
83
The world forgetting by the world forgot.Alexander Pope
84
How shall I love the sin yet keep the sense And love the offender yet detest the offence?Alexander Pope
85
To err is human to forgive divine.Alexander Pope
86
There is nothing meritorious but virtue and friendship.Alexander Pope
87
He mounts the storm and walks upon the wind.Alexander Pope
88
And all who told it added something new And all who heard it made enlargements too.Alexander Pope
89
Amusement is the happiness of those who cannot think.Alexander Pope
90
False happiness is like false money it passes for a long time as well as the true and serves some ordinary occasions but when it is brought to the touch we find the lightness and alloy and feel the loss.Alexander Pope
91
The learned is happy nature to explore the fool is happy that he knows no more.Alexander Pope
92
I have as little fear that God will damn a man that has charity as I hope that the priests can save one who has not.Alexander Pope
93
In faith and hope the world will disagree but all mankind's concern is charity.Alexander Pope
94
Know then thyself presume not God to scan: The proper study of mankind is man.Alexander Pope
95
An honest man's the noblest work of God.Alexander Pope
96
Hope springs eternal in the human breast Man never is but always to be blest.Alexander Pope
97
Hope springs eternal in the human breast.Alexander Pope
98
For I who hold sage Homer's rule the best Welcome the coming speed the going guest.Alexander Pope
99
Thou wert my guide philosopher and friend.Alexander Pope
100
Alive ridiculous and dead forgot?Alexander Pope