Geoffrey Chaucer Quotes

On this page you can find the TOP of Geoffrey Chaucer's best quotes! We hope you will find some sayings from Poet Geoffrey Chaucer's in our collection, which will inspire you to new achievements! There are currently 161 quotes on this page collected since 1343! Share our collection of quotes with your friends on social media so that they can find something to inspire them!
  • To keep demands as much skill as to win.

    Winning   Skills   Demand  
    Geoffrey Chaucer, George Philip Krapp (2006). “Troilus and Cressida”, p.141, Courier Corporation
  • Loke who that is most vertuous alway, Prive and apert, and most entendeth ay To do the gentil dedes that he can, And take him for the gretest gentilman.

    Geoffrey Chaucer (1870). “The Canterbury Tales”, p.185
  • If gold ruste, what shall iren do?

    Gold   Ifs  
    'The Canterbury Tales' 'The General Prologue' l. 500
  • Patience is a conquering virtue. The learned say that, if it not desert you, It vanquishes what force can never reach; Why answer back at every angry speech? No, learn forbearance or, I'll tell you what, You will be taught it, whether you will or not.

    Geoffrey Chaucer (1966). “The Canterbury Tales”
  • In April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power As brings about the engendering of the flower.

    Sweet   Spring   Flower  
    Geoffrey Chaucer (1966). “The Canterbury Tales”
  • Men sholde nat knowe of Goddes pryvetee Ye, blessed be alwey, a lewed man That noght but oonly his believe kan! So ferde another clerk with astromye, He walked in the feelds, for to prye Upon the sterres, what ther sholde bifalle, Til he was in a marle-pit yfalle.

    Believe   Blessed   Men  
  • For God's love, take things patiently, have sense, Think! We are prisoners and shall always be. Fortune has given us this adversity, Some wicked planetary dispensation, Some Saturn's trick or evil constellation Has given us this, and Heaven, though we had sworn The contrary, so stood when we were born. We must endure it, that's the long and short.

    Geoffrey Chaucer (1966). “The Canterbury Tales”
  • The greatest scholars are not usually the wisest people.

  • Ek gret effect men write in place lite; Th'entente is al, and nat the lettres space.

    Writing   Men   Space  
    'Troilus and Criseyde' bk. 5, l. 1629
  • Lat take a cat, and fostre him wel with milk, And tendre flesh, and make his couche of silk, And let him seen a mous go by the wal; Anon he weyveth milk, and flesh, and al, And every deyntee that is in that hous, Swich appetyt hath he to ete a mous.

    Cat   Flesh   Als  
  • For tyme y-lost may not recovered be.

    May   Losing   Lost  
    Geoffrey Chaucer (2014). “Troilus and Criseyde”, p.124, Trajectory Inc
  • Go, little booke! go, my little tragedie!

    Littles  
    Geoffrey Chaucer, Thomas Tyrwhitt (1843). “The Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: With an Essay on His Language and Versification, and an Introductory Discourse; Together with Notes and a Glossary”, p.332
  • The proverbe saith that many a smale maketh a grate.

    Grate  
    "The Canterbury Tales (Persones Tale)". Book by Geoffrey Chaucer, 1387.
  • But manly set the world on sixe and sevene; And, if thou deye a martir, go to hevene.

    World   Ifs   Manly  
    Geoffrey Chaucer (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (Illustrated)”, p.447, Delphi Classics
  • Til that the brighte sonne loste his hewe; For th'orisonte hath reft the sonne his lyght; This is as muche to seye as it was nyght!

    'The Canterbury Tales' 'The Franklin's Tale' l. 1016
  • One cannot scold or complain at every word. Learn to endure patiently, or else, as I live and breathe, you shall learn it whether you want or not.

    Geoffrey Chaucer (2006). “The Canterbury Tales”, p.451, Bantam Classics
  • Forbid us something, and that thing we desire.

    Desire  
  • A yokel mind loves stories from of old, Being the kind it can repeat and hold.

    Geoffrey Chaucer (1966). “The Canterbury Tales”
  • I am not the rose, but I have lived near the rose.

    Rose   Royalty  
  • But, Lord Crist! whan that it remembreth me Upon my yowthe, and on my jolitee, It tickleth me aboute myn herte roote. Unto this day it dooth myn herte boote That I have had my world as in my tyme. But age, alias! that al wole envenyme, Hath me biraft my beautee and my pith. Lat go, farewel! the devel go therwith! The flour is goon, ther is namoore to telle; The bren, as I best kan, now most I selle.

    Age   World   Als  
  • So was hir jolly whistel wel y-wette.

    Jolly  
    "Canterbury Tales". Book by Geoffrey Chaucer, The Reeve's Tale, line 4,155, 1387.
  • For many a pasty have you robbed of blood, And many a Jack of Dover have you sold That has been heated twice and twice grown cold. From many a pilgrim have you had Christ's curse, For of your parsley they yet fare the worse, Which they have eaten with your stubble goose; For in your shop full many a fly is loose.

    Food   Blood   Cooking  
  • How potent is the fancy! People are so impressionable, they can die of imagination.

    Geoffrey Chaucer, David Wright (1965). “The Canterbury tales”, Vintage
  • One eare it heard, at the other out it went.

    Hearing   Heard  
    Geoffrey Chaucer (1851). “The Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer”, p.308
  • This flour of wifly patience.

    Flour  
    Geoffrey Chaucer (1775). “The Canterbury Tales”, p.40
  • One cannot be avenged for every wrong; according to the occasion, everyone who knows how, must use temperance.

    Geoffrey Chaucer (2006). “The Canterbury Tales”, p.451, Bantam Classics
  • Soun is noght but air ybroken, And every speche that is spoken, Loud or privee, foul or fair, In his substaunce is but air; For as flaumbe is but lighted smoke, Right so soun is air ybroke.

    Air   Loud   Foul  
    Geoffrey Chaucer (1895). “The Student's Chaucer: Being a Complete Edition of His Works”
  • For I have seyn of a ful misty morwe Folowen ful ofte a myrie someris day.

    Misty  
    'Troilus and Criseyde' bk. 3, l. 1060
  • And then the wren gan scippen and to daunce.

    Wrens  
    "Court of Love". Book by Geoffrey Chaucer, line 1,372,
  • Trouthe is the hyest thyng that man may kepe.

    Men   May  
    'The Canterbury Tales' 'The Franklin's Tale' l. 1479
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  • We hope you have found the saying you were looking for in our collection! At the moment, we have collected 161 quotes from the Poet Geoffrey Chaucer, starting from 1343! We periodically replenish our collection so that visitors of our website can always find inspirational quotes by authors from all over the world! Come back to us again!