Quotes from Philip Sidney

For grammar it [poetry] might have, but it needs it not; being so easy in itself, and so void of those cumbersome differences of cases, genders, moods, and tenses, which, I think, was a piece of the Tower of Babylon's curse, that a man shoult be put to school to learn his mother-tongue.

scoffing cometh not of wisdom...

Who will be taught, if he be not moved with desire to be taught?

Come, Sleep; O Sleep! the certain knot of peace, The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe, The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release, Th' indifferent judge between the high and low; With shield of proof shield me from out the prease Of those fierce darts Despair at me doth throw.

No, no, let us think with consideration, and consider with acknowledging, and acknowledge with admiration, and admire with love, and love with joy in the midst of all woes ; let us in such sort think, I say, that 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.

Desire, desire! I have too dearly bought, With price of mangled mind, thy worthless ware.

Indeed, the Roman laws allowed no person to be carried to the wars but he that was in the soldiers' roll.

What is birth to a man if it shall be a stain to his dead ancestors to have left such an offspring?

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.

Fearfulness, contrary to all other vices, maketh a man think the better of another, the worse of himself.

Remember always, that man is a creature whose reason is often darkened with error.

Woman was formed to admire; man to be admirable. His are the glories of the sun at noonday; hers the softened splendors of the midnight moon.

With a tale, forsooth, he cometh unto you; with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner.

Honor, thou strong idol of man's mind.

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

Solitude, the sly enemy that doth separate a man from well-doing.

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

Sin is the mother, and shame the daughter of lewdness.

Poetry, a speaking picture to teach and delight.

God has appointed us captains of this our bodily fort, which, without treason to that majesty, are never to be delivered over till they are demanded.

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

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

It depends on education--that holder of the keys which the Almighty hath put into our hands--to open the gates which lead to virtue or to vice, to happiness or misery.

The only disadvantage of an honest heart is credulity.