William Congreve Quotes

You are a woman: you must never speak what you think; your words must contradict your thoughts, but your actions may contradict your words.

- William Congreve

Invention flags, his brain goes muddy, and black despair succeeds brown study.

- William Congreve

If there's delight in love, 'Tis when I see that heart, which others bleed for, bleed for me.

- William Congreve

There is in true beauty, as in courage, something which narrow souls cannot dare to admire.

- William Congreve

Come, come, leave business to idlers, and wisdom to fools: they have need of 'em: wit be my faculty, and pleasure my occupation, and let father Time shake his glass.

- William Congreve

Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.

- William Congreve

A little disdain is not amiss; a little scorn is alluring.

- William Congreve

Music has charms to sooth a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.

- William Congreve

Say what you will, 'tis better to be left than never to have been loved.

- William Congreve

'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

She likes herself, yet others hates, For that which in herself she prizes; And while she laughs at them, forgets She is the thing that she despises.

- William Congreve

I confess freely to you, I could never look long upon a monkey, without very mortifying reflections.

- William Congreve

They come together like the Coroner's Inquest, to sit upon the murdered reputations of the week.

- William Congreve

Grief walks upon the heels of pleasure; married in haste, we repent at leisure.

- William Congreve

They are at the end of the gallery; retired to their tea and scandal, according to their ancient custom.

- William Congreve

Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing.

- William Congreve

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

He who closes his ears to the views of others shows little confidence in the integrity of his own views.

- William Congreve

I find we are growing serious, and then we are in great danger of being dull.

- William Congreve

Courtship is to marriage, as a very witty prologue to a very dull play.

- William Congreve

A hungry wolf at all the herd will run, In hopes, through many, to make sure of one.

- William Congreve

To find a young fellow that is neither a wit in his own eye, nor a fool in the eye of the world, is a very hard task.

- William Congreve

Wit must be foiled by wit: cut a diamond with a diamond.

- William Congreve

A wit should be no more sincere than a woman constant.

- William Congreve

Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear.

- William Congreve

I know that's a secret, for it's whispered everywhere.

- William Congreve

Beauty is the lover's gift.

- William Congreve

Never go to bed angry, stay up and fight.

- William Congreve

No, I'm no enemy to learning; it hurts not me.

- William Congreve

If this be not love, it is madness, and then it is pardonable.

- William Congreve