Quotes from John Milton

Henceforth I flie not Death, nor would prolong   Life much, bent rather how I may be quit   Fairest and easiest of this combrous charge,   Which I must keep till my appointed day   Of rendring up. MICHAEL to him repli'd.     Nor love thy Life, nor hate; but what thou livst   Live well, how long or short permit to Heav'n:

Taught by the heav'nly Muse to venture down The dark descent, and up to reascend, Though hard and rare: thee I revisit safe, And feel thy sovran vital Lamp; but thou Revisit'st not these eyes, that rowle in vain To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn; So

Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat Sighing through all her Works gave signs of woe, That all was lost.

I call therefore a complete and generous education that which fits a man to perform justly, skilfully and magnanimously all the offices both private and public, of peace and war.

That who advances his glory, not their own,   Them he himself to glory will advance.

So having said, he thus to Eve in few: Say Woman, what is this which thou hast done? To whom sad Eve with shame nigh overwhelm'd, Confessing soon, yet not before her Judge Bold or loquacious, thus abasht repli'd. The Serpent me beguil'd and I did eate.

When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer. - Milton.

O fleeting joys of Paradise, dear bought with lasting woes! Did I request thee, maker, from my clay to mold me man, did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me, or here place in this delicious garden? As my will concurred not to my being, it were but right and equal to reduce me to my dust, desirous to resign, and render back all I received, unable to perform thy terms too hard, by which I was to hold the good I sought not.

Now glowed the firmament With living sapphires:

Out of the fertile ground he caused to grow All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste; And all amid them stood the Tree of Life, High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit [220] Of vegetable gold; and next to life Our death the Tree of Knowledge

For who would lose, though full of pain, this intellectual being, those thoughts that wander through eternity to perish rather, swallowed up and lost in the wide womb of uncreated Night?

This is Old Age; but then, thou must outlive Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty; which will change 540 To withered, weak, and gray; thy senses then, Obtuse, all taste of pleasure must forego, To what thou hast; and, for the air of youth, Hopeful and cheerful, in thy blood will reign A melancholy damp of cold and dry 545 To weigh thy spirits down, and last consume The balm of life.

Wait...The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.

Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate: Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat Sighing through all her works gave signs of woe, That all was lost.

Whom hast thou then, or what, to accuse, but heaven's free love dealt equally t'all?

Her heavenly form Angelick, but more soft and feminine, Her graceful innocence, her every air Of gesture, or least action overawed His malice

Nor love thy life, nor hate; but what thou liv'st Live well, how long or short permit to Heaven.

The link of Nature draw me, flesh of flesh, Bone of my bone, thou art, and from thy state Mine never shall be parted

What hither brought us, hate, not love, nor hope   Of Paradise for Hell, hope here to taste   Of pleasure, but all pleasure to destroy,   Save what is in destroying, other joy   To me is lost. Then

Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.

Adam the while Waiting desirous her return, had wove Of choicest flowers a garland, to adorn Her tresses, and her rural labours crown As reapers oft are wont their harvest queen

so much the fear, Of Thunder and the Sword of Michael, Wrought still within them:

They themselves ordained their Fall. The first sort by their own suggestion fell Self-tempted, self-depraved.

All of me then shall die: let this appease The doubt, since human reach no further knows.