Cowper Quotes

An epigram is but a feeble thing - With straw in tail, stuck there by way of sting. ~ William Cowper

But conversation, choose what theme we may, And chiefly when religion leads the way, Should flow, like waters after summer show'rs, Not as if raised by mere mechanic powers. ~ William Cowper

War's a game, which, were their subjects wise, Kings would not play at. ~ William Cowper

Alas! if my best Friend, who laid down His life for me, were to remember all the instances in which I have neglected Him, and to plead them against me in judgment, where should I hide my guilty head in the day of recompense? I will pray, therefore, for blessings on my friends, even though they cease to be so, and upon my enemies, though they continue such. ~ William Cowper

What peaceful hours I once enjoy'd! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void The world can never fill. ~ William Cowper

God made bees, and bees made honey, God made man, and man made money, Pride made the devil, and the devil made sin; So God made a cole-pit to put the devil in. ~ William Cowper

Twere better to be born a stone Of ruder shape, and feeling none, Than with a tenderness like mine And sensibilities so fine! Ah, hapless wretch! condemn'd to dwell Forever in my native shell, Ordained to move when others please, Not for my own content or ease; But toss'd and buffeted about, Now in the water and now out. ~ William Cowper

Not a flower
But shows some touch, in freckle, streak or stain,
Of his unrivall'd pencil. He inspires
Their balmy odors, and imparts their hues,
And bathes their eyes with nectar, and includes
In grains as countless as the seaside sands,
The forms with which he sprinkles all the earth
Happy who walks with him! ~ William Cowper

When one that holds communion with the skies
Has fill'd his urn where these pure waters rise,
And once more mingles with us meaner things,
'Tis e'en as if an angel shook his wings. ~ William Cowper

What we admire we praise; and when we praise,
Advance it into notice, that its worth
Acknowledged, others may admire it too. ~ William Cowper

We sacrifice to dress till household joys and comforts cease. Dress drains our cellar dry, and keeps our larder lean. ~ William Cowper

Wisdom is humble that he knows no more. ~ William Cowper

A tale should be judicious, clear, succinct; The language plain, and incidents well link'd; Tell not as new what ev'ry body knows; and, new or old, still hasten to a close. ~ William Cowper

Thus happiness depends, as nature shows, less on exterior things than most suppose. ~ William Cowper

Absence of occupation is not rest. ~ William Cowper

There is a mixture of evil in everything we do; indulgence encourages us to encroach, while we Crabbe exercise the rights of children, we become childish. ~ William Cowper

The permanent mental attitude which the sensitive intelligence derives from philosophy is an attitude that combines extreme reverence with limitless skepticism. ~ John Cowper Powys

A moral, sensible, and well-bred manWill not affront me, and no other can. ~ William Cowper

'Tis liberty alone that gives the flower Of fleeting life its lustre and perfume; And we are weeds without it. ~ William Cowper

Misses! the tale that I relate This lesson seems to carry
Choose not alone a proper mate, But proper time to marry. ~ William Cowper

O Winter! ruler of the inverted year, ... I crown thee king of intimate delights, Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness, And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturbed Retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening, know. ~ William Cowper

Solitude, seeming a sanctuary, proves a grave; a sepulchre in which the living lie, where all good qualities grow sick and die ~ William Cowper

The tide of life, swift always in its course,
May run in cities with a brisker force,
But nowhere with a current so serene,
Or half so clear, as in the rural scene. ~ William Cowper

Forgot the blush that virgin fears impart
To modest cheeks, and borrowed one from art. ~ William Cowper

He remembered to the end of his life what he felt at that moment, while the bone of his lower jaw met the bones of his knuckles pressed so hard against them. He felt absolutely alone – alone in an emptiness that was different from empty space. He did not pity himself. He did not hate himself. He just endured himself and waited – waited till whatever it was that enclosed him made some sign. ~ John Cowper Powys

Having once aroused in our mind enough faith in our own will-power to create a universe of contemplation and forget everything else, there are few limitations to the happiness we may enjoy. ~ John Cowper Powys

Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed. ~ William Cowper

When the religious Cowper confesses in the opening lines of his address to the famous Yardley oak, that the sense of awe and reverence it inspired in him would have made him bow himself down and worship it but for the happy fact that his mind was illumined with the knowledge of the truth, he is but saying what many feel without in most cases recognizing the emotion for what it is - the sense of the supernatural in nature. ~ W.H. Hudson

The innocent seldom find an uncomfortable pillow. ~ William Cowper

I have a kitten,the drollest of all creatures that ever wore a cat's skin. ~ William Cowper

Who loves a garden loves a greenhouse too. ~ William Cowper

Religion Caesar never knew Thy posterity shall sway, Where his eagles never flew, None as invincible as they. ~ William Cowper

Unmissed but by his dogs and by his groom. ~ William Cowper

All constraint, / Except what wisdom lays on evil men, / Is evil. ~ William Cowper

Sends Nature forth the daughter of the skies ... To dance on earth, and charm all human eyes. ~ William Cowper

Forced from home, and all its pleasures, afric coast I left forlorn; to increase a stranger's treasures, o the raging billows borne. Men from England bought and sold me, paid my price in paltry gold; but, though theirs they have enroll'd me, minds are never to be sold. ~ William Cowper

One needs no strange spiritual faith to worship the earth. ~ John Cowper Powys

We need, just now, a certain fierce, bitter, indignant philosophy, a philosophy that is neither too easy-going towards the gods for the sort of world they have made, nor towards ourselves for the folly with which we make the bad worse. We need to put into our cosmic philosophy a little of the black bile that we put into our human relations. ~ John Cowper Powys

Even in the stifling bosom of the town,
A garden, in which nothing thrives, has charms
That soothes the rich possessor; much consol'd,
That here and there some sprigs of mournful mint,
Or nightshade, or valerian, grace the well
He cultivates. ~ William Cowper

Look not too long in the face of the fire O man!...believe not the artificial fire, when its redness makes all things look ghastly. Tomorrow, in the natural sun, the skies will be bright; those who glared like devils in the forking flames, the morn will show in far other, at least gentler relief; the glorious, golden, glad sun, the only true lamp - all others but liars!
Nevertheless the sun hides not Virginia's dismal swamp, nor Rome's accursed Campagna, nor wide Sahara, nor all the millions of miles of deserts and of griefs beneath the moon. The sun hides not the ocean which is the dark side of this Earth, and which is two thirds of this Earth. So, therefore, that mortal man who hath more of joy than sorrow in him, that mortal man cannot be true - not true, or undeveloped. With books the same. The truest of all men was The Man of Sorrows, and the truest of all books is Solomon's, and Ecclesiastes is the fine hammered steel of woe. 'All is vanity'. ALL. The wilful world hath not got hold of unchristian Solomon's wisdom yet. But he who dodges hospitals and jails, and walks fast crossing grave yards, and would rather talk of operas than hell; calls Cowper, Young, Pascal, Rosseau, poor devils all sick of men; and throughout a carefree lifetime swears by Rabelais as passing wise, and therefore jolly; - not that man is fitted to sit down on tomb stones, and break the green damp mould unfathomable wounderous Solomon. ~ Herman Melville

Strength may wield the ponderous spade, May turn the clod, and wheel the compost home; But elegance, chief grace the garden shows, And most attractive, is the fair result Of thought, the creature of a polished mind. ~ William Cowper

Ambition is the grand enemy of all peace. ~ John Cowper Powys

It is a terrible thought, that nothing is ever forgotten; that not an oath is ever uttered that does not continue to vibrate through all times, in the wide spreading current of sound; that not a prayer is lisped, that its record is not to be found st ~ William Cowper

But, oh, Thou bounteous Giver of all good, Thou art, of all Thy gifts, Thyself thy crown! ~ William Cowper

Admirals extolled for standing still, or doing nothing with a deal of skill. ~ William Cowper

Grief is itself a medicine. ~ William Cowper

How various his employments whom the world Calls idle; and who justly in return Esteems that busy world an idler too! ~ William Cowper

And, of all lies (be that one poet's boast) / The lie that flatters I abhor the most. ~ William Cowper

I venerate the man whose heart is warm, Whose hands are pure, whose doctrine and whose life, Coincident, exhibit lucid proof That he is honest in the sacred cause. ~ William Cowper

They whom truth and wisdom lead, can gather honey from a weed. ~ William Cowper

Friends, books, a garden, and perhaps his pen,
Delightful industry enjoy'd at home,
An Nature, in her cultivated trim
Dress'ed to his taste, inviting him abroad -
Can he want occupation who has these? ~ William Cowper

Tis Providence alone secures In every change both mine and yours. ~ William Cowper

Great offices will have great talents. ~ William Cowper

If a great man struggling with misfortunes is a noble object, a little man that despises them is no contemptible one. ~ William Cowper

I seem forsaken and alone, / I hear the lion roar; / And every door is shut but one, / And that is Mercy's door. ~ William Cowper

But oars alone can ne'er prevail To reach the distant coast; The breath of Heaven must swell the sail, Or all the toil is lost. ~ William Cowper

Nature is a good name for an effect whose cause is God. ~ William Cowper

Did Charity prevail, the press would prove A vehicle of virtue, truth, and love. ~ William Cowper

Anticipated rents, and bills unpaid,
Force many a shining youth into the shade,
Not to redeem his time, but his estate,
And play the fool, but at the cheaper rate. ~ William Cowper

Riches have wings, and grandeur is a dream. ~ William Cowper

Where penury is felt the thought is chain'd,
And sweet colloquial pleasures are but few. ~ William Cowper

A teacher should be sparing of his smile. ~ William Cowper

Poor England! thou art a devoted deer,
Beset with every ill but that of fear.
The nations hunt; all mock thee for a prey;
They swarm around thee, and thou stand'st at bay. ~ William Cowper

Every day that we allow ourselves to take things for granted, every day that we allow some little physical infirmity or worldly worry to come between us and our obstinate, indignant, defiant exultation, we are weakening our genius for life. ~ John Cowper Powys

Life seemed entirely composed of weeping faces, old men sneaking up bedroom-stairs, tombstones with spittle trickling down, and black-edged calling-cards. He felt as if the First Cause of the Universe were a small, malignant grub, radiating a deadly blight in withering, centrifugal air-waves! ~ John Cowper Powys

Habits are soon assumed; but when we strive to strip them off, 'tis being flayed alive. ~ William Cowper

Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast,
Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round,
And, while the bubbling and loud hissing urn
Throws up a steamy column and the cups
That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each,
So let us welcome peaceful ev'ning in. ~ William Cowper

What are they doing here, these difficult young persons and their still more difficult guardians? This - this sacred Elysian garden of the great humanistic tradition of classic wisdom and classic art - must not be invaded by clamorous babes and agitated elders, must not be profaned either by the plaudits or the strictures of the unlettered mob. Somewhere in human life, and where should it be if not in the cloistered seclusion of noble literature? - there must be an escape from the importunities of such people and from the responsibilities of the ignorance they so jealously guard. ~ John Cowper Powys

Come, evening, once again, season of peace;
Return, sweet evening, and continue long!
Methinks I see thee in the streaky west,
With matron step, slow moving, while the night
Treads on thy sweeping train; one hand employ'd
In letting fall the curtain of repose
On bird and beast, the other charged for man
With sweet oblivion of the cares of day. ~ William Cowper

The mind, relaxing into needful sport, Should turn to writers of an abler sort, Whose wit well managed, and whose classic style, Give truth a lustre, and make wisdom smile. ~ William Cowper

Ever let the Fancy roam, Pleasure never is at home. ~ William Cowper

Time, as he passes us, has a dove's wing,
Unsoil'd, and swift, and of a silken sound. ~ William Cowper

Tis pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat,
To peep at such a world; to see the stir
Of the Great Babel, and not feel the crowd. ~ William Cowper

God forbid that Judges upon their oath should make resolutions to enlarge jurisdiction. ~ William Cowper

Thieves at home must hang; but he that puts Into his overgorged and bloated purse The wealth of Indian provinces, escapes. ~ William Cowper

He that attends to his interior self,
That has a heart, and keeps it; has a mind
That hungers, and supplies it; and who seeks
A social, not a dissipated life,
Has business. ~ William Cowper

Meditation here may think down hours to moments. Here the heart may give a useful lesson to the head and learning wiser grow without his books. ~ William Cowper

To follow foolish precedents, and wink With both our eyes, is easier than to think. ~ William Cowper

God made the country, and man made the town. ~ William Cowper

Satan trembles, when he sees the weakest Saint upon his knees. ~ William Cowper

For 'tis a truth well known to most, That whatsoever thing is lost, We seek it, ere it comes to light, In every cranny but the right. ~ William Cowper

If by the time we're sixty we haven't learned what a knot of paradox and contradiction life is, and how exquisitely the good and the bad are mingled in every action we take, and what a compromising hostess Our Lady of Truth is, we haven't grown old to much purpose. ~ John Cowper Powys

Man in society is like a flow'r,
Blown in its native bed. 'Tis there alone
His faculties expanded in full bloom
Shine out, there only reach their proper use. ~ William Cowper

Just knows, and knows no more, her Bible true,- A truth the brilliant Frenchman never knew. ~ William Cowper

Acquaint thyself with God, if thou would'st tasteHis works. Admitted once to his embrace,Thou shalt perceive that thou was blind before:Thine eye shall be instructed; and thine heartMade pure shall relish with divine delightTill then unfelt, what hands divine have wrought. ~ William Cowper

Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds,
Exhilirate the spirit, and restore
The tone of languid nature. ~ William Cowper

Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd. ~ William Cowper

Happy the man who sees a God employed in all the good and ills that checker life. ~ William Cowper

To see the Law by Christ fulfilled,
And hear His pardoning voice
Changes a slave into a child,
And duty into choice. ~ William Cowper

Happy the bard, (if that fair name belong
To him that blends no fable with his song)
Whose lines uniting, by an honest art,
The faithful monitors and poets part,
Seek to delight, that they may mend mankind,
And while they captivate, inform the mind.
Still happier, if he till a thankful soil,
And fruit reward his honorable toil:
But happier far who comfort those that wait
To hear plain truth at Judah's hallow'd gate ~ William Cowper

So let us welcome peaceful evening in. ~ William Cowper

The cares of today are seldom those of tomorrow, and when we lie down at night we may safely say to most of our troubles, "Ye have done your worst, and we shall see you no more." ~ William Cowper

There is no flesh in man's obdurate heart; he does not feel for man. ~ William Cowper

Damn these indecisions! This accursed difficulty of deciding, of deciding anything at all, seemed to have grown into an obsession with him. To have to decide...that was the worst misery on earth! ~ John Cowper Powys

Most of the pathetic scenes in almost everybody's life are scenes unnoted by anyone and totally disregarded by the person in question. ~ John Cowper Powys

All zeal for a reform, that gives offence To peace and charity, is mere pretence. ~ William Cowper

William Cowper said that God made the country, and man made the town. If it was the opposite, there would be no country; because town can be created from the country but the country cannot be created from the town! ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

Some men make gain a fountain, whence proceeds
A stream of liberal and heroic deeds;
The swell of pity, not to be confined
Within the scanty limits of the mind. ~ William Cowper

I pity them greatly, but I must be mum, for how could we do without sugar and rum? ~ William Cowper

This swallowing up of life in nothingness, this obliteration of life by nothingness is what the emotion of malice ultimately desires. The eternal conflict between love and malice is the eternal contest between life and death. And this contest is what the complex vision reveals, as it moves from darkness to darkness. ~ John Cowper Powys