Quotes from Geoffrey Chaucer

For of fortunes sharp adversitee The worst kynde of infortune is this, A man to han ben in prosperitee, And it remembren, whan it passed is.

And when a beest is deed, he hath no peyne; But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne.

Fie on possession, But if a man be vertuous withal.

Ek gret effect men write in place lite; Th'entente is al, and nat the lettres space.

By nature, men love newfangledness.

Patience is a conquering virtue.

Thus with hir fader for a certeyn space Dwelleth this flour of wyfly pacience, That neither by hir wordes ne hir face Biforn the folk, ne eek in her absence, Ne shewed she that hir was doon offence.

This flour of wifly patience.

Great peace is found in little busy-ness.

And so it is in politics, dear brother, Each for himself alone, there is no other.

In April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power As brings about the engendering of the flower.

Love will not be constrain'd by mastery. When mast'ry comes, the god of love anon Beateth his wings, and, farewell, he is gone. Love is a thing as any spirit free.

Abstinence is approved of God.

He that loveth God will do diligence to please God by his works, and abandon himself, with all his might, well for to do.

Yblessed be god that I have wedded fyve! Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shal.

One flesh they are; and one flesh, so I'd guess, Has but one heart, come grief or happiness.

How potent is the fancy! People are so impressionable, they can die of imagination.

Murder will out, this my conclusion.

The life so short, the crafts so long to learn.

All good things must come to an end.

We know little of the things for which we pray.

Many small make a great.

For out of old fields, as men saith, Cometh all this new corn from year to year; And out of old books, in good faith, Cometh all this new science that men learn.

For oute of olde feldys, as men sey, Comyth al this newe corn from yer to yere; And out of olde bokis, in good fey, Comyth al this newe science that men lere.