"The after-silence, when the feast is o'er, And void the places where the minstrels stood, Differs in nought from what hath been before, And is nor ill nor good."

"The votes of veering crowds are not The things that are more excellent."

"O ye by wandering tempest sown Neath every alien star, Forget not whence the breath was blown That wafted you afar! For ye are still her ancient seed On younger soil let fall— Children of Britain’s island-breed, To whom the Mother in her need Perchance may one day call."

"O be less beautiful, or be less brief."

"The stars of heaven are free because In amplitude of liberty Their joy is to obey the laws."

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are, Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky!"

"His friends he loved. His fellest earthly foes— Cats—I believe he did but feign to hate. My hand will miss the insinuated nose, Mine eyes the tail that wagg'd contempt at Fate."

"Earth is less fragrant now, and heaven more sweet."

"Best they honour thee Who honour in thee only what is best."

"To keep in sight Perfection, and adore The vision, is the artist's best delight; His bitterest pang, that he can ne'er do more Than keep her long'd-for loveliness in sight."

"Man looks at his own bliss, considers it, Weighs it with curious fingers; and 'tis gone."

"God, by the earlier sceptic, was exiled; The later is more lenient grown and mild: He sanctions God, provided you agree To any other name for deity."

"Flower-fondled, clasp'd in ivy's close caress, It seems with Nature, yet apart."

"In this house with starry dome, Floored with gemlike plains and seas, Shall I never feel at home, Never wholly be at ease?On from room to room I stray, Yet mine Host can ne’er espy, And I know not to this day Whether guest or captive I."

"And, though circuitous and obscure, The feet of Nemesis how sure!"

"Though man a thinking being is defined, Few use the grand prerogative of mind. How few think justly of the thinking few! How many never think, who think they do!"

"April, April, Laugh thy girlish laughter; Then, the moment after, Weep thy girlish tears!"

"The Poet gathers fruit from every tree, Yea, grapes from thorns and figs from thistles he. Pluck'd by his hand, the basest weed that grows Towers to a lily, reddens to a rose."

"I thank the goodness and the grace Which on my birth have smiled, And made me in these Christian days, A happy English child."

"Hate and mistrust are the children of blindness."

"I had eventually come to understand that friendship was a delicate, gradual process that mustn't be rushed or seized upon but allowed and encouraged to take its course over time. I pictured it as a butterfly, simultaneously beautiful and fragile, that once afloat belonged to the air and any attempt to grab at it would only destroy it."

"My relationship with scientists has changed. Now, they consider me more of a peer than a guinea pig, and I'm part of the scientific discussion."

"When someone asks me, "Do you speak Breton or Inuktitut?" I say, "Not yet.""

"My algebra was relatively poor. I found it very difficult to use equations that substituted numbers — to which I had a synesthetic and emotional response — for letters, to which I had none. It was because of this that I decided not to continue math at Advanced level, but chose to study history, French and German instead."

"Who ran to help me when I fell, And would some pretty story tell, Or kiss the place to make it well? My mother."

"For God, who lives above the skies, Would look with vengeance in his eyes If I should ever dare despise My mother."

"I thank the goodness and the grace Which on my birth have smiled, And made me in these Christian days, A happy English child."

"Far from mortal cares retreating, Sordid hopes and vain desires, Here, our willing footsteps meeting, Every heart to heaven aspires."

"I love little pussy, her coat is so warm; And if I don't hurt her she'll do me no harm."

"Oh that it were my chief delight To do the things I ought! Then let me try with all my might To mind what I am taught."

"Who ran to help me when I fell, And would some pretty story tell, Or kiss the place to make it well? My mother."

"The kingliest kings are crowned with thorn."

"The time shall come When man to man shall be a friend and brother."

"One sharp stern struggle and the slaves of centuries are free."

"They must find it hard to take Truth for authority who have so long mistaken Authority for Truth."

"In this dim world of clouding cares, We rarely know, till wildered eyes See white wings lessening up the skies, The angels with us unawares."

"There's no dearth of kindness In this world of ours; Only in our blindness We gather thorns for flowers."

"Johnson's style was grand and Gibbon’s elegant; the stateliness of the former was sometimes pedantic, and the polish of the latter was occasionally finical. Johnson marched to kettle-drums and trumpets. Gibbon moved to flutes and hautboys. Johnson hewed passages through the Alps, while Gibbon levelled walks through parks and gardens."

"As the lone Angler, patient man, At Mewry-Water, or the Banne, Leaves off, against his placid wish, Impaling worms to torture fish"

"Mynheer Vandunck, though he never was drunk, Sipped brandy and water gayly."

"Three stories high, long, dull, and old, As great lords' stories often are."

"Thank you, good sir, I owe you one."

"Oh, Miss Bailey! Unfortunate Miss Bailey!"

"Says he, 'I am a handsome man, but I'm a gay deceiver.'"

"'Tis a very fine thing to be father-in-law To a very magnificent three-tailed Bashaw!"

"His heart runs away with his head."

"And, on the label of the stuff, He wrote this verse; Which one would think was clear enough, And terse:— When taken, To be well shaken."