Delay not till tomorrow to be wise; tomorrow’s sun to thee may never rise.
—William Congreve
Topics: Procrastination, The Present
I find we are growing serious, and then we are in great danger of being dull.
—William Congreve
Topics: Conversation
A wit should no more be sincere, than a woman constant; one argues a decay of parts, as to other of beauty.
—William Congreve
Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,
Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.
—William Congreve
Topics: Hatred, Anger
Mr Witwould: “Pray, madam, do you pin up your hair with all your letters? I find I must keep copies”.
Mrs Millamant: “Only with those in verse…. I never pin up my hair with prose”.
—William Congreve
Topics: Letters
Invention flags, his brain goes muddy, and black despair succeeds brown study.
—William Congreve
Courtship to marriage, as a very witty prologue to a very dull play.
—William Congreve
Topics: Marriage
Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing.
—William Congreve
Topics: Uncertainty, Risk-taking, Doubt, Security, Expectation
O, she is the antidote to desire.
—William Congreve
Topics: Insults
Honor is a public enemy, and conscience a domestic, and he that would secure his pleasure, must pay a tribute to one and go halves with t’other.
—William Congreve
Topics: Pleasure
Grief walks upon the heels of pleasure; married in haste, we repent at leisure.
—William Congreve
Topics: Marriage
Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing, through the overtaking and possessing of a wish discovers the folly of the chase.
—William Congreve
Topics: Uncertainty, Expectation
I know a lady that loves talking so incessantly, she won’t give an echo fair play; she has that everlasting rotation of tongue that an echo must wait till she dies before it can catch her last words!
—William Congreve
A wit should be no more sincere than a woman constant.
—William Congreve
Topics: One liners
In my conscience I believe the baggage loves me, for she never speaks well of me herself, nor suffers any body else to rail at me.
—William Congreve
Topics: Criticism, Critics
Men are apt to offend (’tis true) where they find most goodness to forgive.
—William Congreve
Topics: Insults
There is in true beauty, as in courage, somewhat which narrow souls cannot dare to admire.
—William Congreve
Topics: Beauty
Read, read, search, and refine your appetite; learn to live upon instruction; feast your mind and mortify your flesh.—Read and take your nourishment in all your eyes; shut up your mouth, and chew the cud of understanding.
—William Congreve
Topics: Reading
O ay, letters – I had letters – I am persecuted with letters – I hate letters – nobody knows how to write letters; and yet one has ’em, one does not know why – they serve one to pin up one’s hair.
—William Congreve
Topics: Letters
Guilt is ever at a loss, and confusion waits upon it.
—William Congreve
Topics: Guilt
He who closes his ears to the views of others shows little confidence in the integrity of his own views.
—William Congreve
Topics: Confidence
They come together like the Coroner’s Inquest, to sit upon the murdered reputations of the week.
—William Congreve
Topics: Gossip
Music has charms to soothe the savage beast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.
—William Congreve
Topics: Charm, Music
Blessings ever wait on virtuous deeds, and though a late, a sure reward succeeds.
—William Congreve
Topics: Results, Blessings
No mask like open truth to cover lies,
As to go naked is the best disguise.
—William Congreve
Topics: Honesty
If there’s delight in love, ‘Tis when I see that heart, which others bleed for, bleed for me.
—William Congreve
Topics: Love
You read of but one wise man, and all that he knew was—that he knew nothing.
—William Congreve
Topics: Wisdom
‘Tis well enough for a servant to be bred at an University. But the education is a little too pedantic for a gentleman.
—William Congreve
Topics: Education, Universities
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