It is cruelty in war that buyeth conquest.

Our poor eyes were so enriched as to behold, and our low hearts so exalted as to love, a maid who is such, that as the greatest thing the world can show is her beauty, so the least thing that may be praised in her is her beauty.

The day seems long, but night is odious; no sleep, but dreams; no dreams but visions strange.

There have been many most excellent poets that have never versified, and now swarm many versifiers that need never answer to the name of poets.

It is a great happiness to be praised of them that are most praise-worthy.

Truth is the ground of science, the centre wherein all things repose, and is the type of eternity.

Happiness is a sunbeam, which may pass though a thousand bosoms without losing a particle of its original ray.

Contentions for trifles can get but a trifling victory.

To be ambitious of true honor and of the real glory and perfection of our nature is the very principle and incentive of virtue; but to be ambitious of titles, place, ceremonial respects, and civil pageantry, is as vain and little as the things are which we court.

Plato found fault that the poets of his time filled the world with wrong opinions of the gods, making light tales of that unspotted essence, and therefore would not have the youth depraved with such opinions.

All is but lip-wisdom which wants experience.

What is mine, even to my life, is hers I love; but the secret of my friend is not mine!

There is no man suddenly either excellently good or extremely evil, but grows either as he holds himself up in virtue or lets himself slide to viciousness.

Open suspecting of others comes of secretly condemning ourselves.

Men are almost always cruel in their neighbors' faults; and make others' overthrow the badge of their own ill-masked virtue.

No decking sets forth anything so much as affection.

I am no herald to inquire into men's pedigree; it sufficeth me if I know their virtues.

Fool, said my muse to me. Look in thy heart and write.

The observances of the church concerning feasts and fasts are tolerably well kept, since the rich keep the feasts and the poor the fasts.

Friendship is made fast by interwoven benefits.