For poetry, he's past his prime, He takes an hour to find a rhyme; His fire is out, his wit decayed, His… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
Perpetual aiming at wit is a very bad part of conversation. It is done to support a character: it generally fails; it… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
Religion supposed Heaven and Hell, the word of God, and sacraments, and twenty other circumstances which, taken seriously, are a wonderful check… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
When you set about your composing, it may be necessary for your ease, and better distillation of wit, to put on your… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
If the men of wit and genius would resolve never to complain in their works of critics and detractors, the next age… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
A jargon form'd from the lost language, wit, Confounded in that Babel of the pit; Form'd by diseased conceptions, weak and wild,… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
“There are certain common privileges of a writer, the benefit whereof I hope there will be no reason to doubt; particularly, that… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
All human race would be wits. And millions miss, for one that hits. — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
Men of wit, learning and virtue might strike out every offensive or unbecoming passage from plays. — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
Abstracts, abridgments, summaries, etc., have the same use with burning-glasses,--to collect the diffused light rays of wit and learning in authors, and… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
We of this age have discovered a shorter, and more prudent method to become scholars and wits, without the fatigue of reading… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
'T is an old maxim in the schools, That flattery 's the food of fools; Yet now and then your men of… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
It is with wits as with razors, which are never so apt to cut those they are employed on as when they… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
“He said, he knew no reason why those who entertain opinions prejudicial to the public should be obliged to change, or should not be… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed. — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
The best Maxim I know in this life is, to drink your Coffee when you can, and when you cannot, to be easy without… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
A forward critic often dupes us With sham quotations peri hupsos, And if we have not read Longinus, Will magisterially outshine us. Then, lest… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
Ale is meat, drink and cloth; it will make a cat speak and a wise man dumb. — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind… — Jonathan Swift Copy Share Image
