William Congreve Quotes

On this page you can find the TOP of William Congreve's best quotes! We hope you will find some sayings from Playwright William Congreve's in our collection, which will inspire you to new achievements! There are currently 84 quotes on this page collected since January 24, 1670! Share our collection of quotes with your friends on social media so that they can find something to inspire them!
  • Whoever is king, is also the father of his country.

    William Wycherley, William Congreve, Sir John Vanbrugh, George Farquhar (1871). “The Dramatic Works of Wycherley, Congreve, Vanbrugh, and Farquhar :”, p.202
  • O, she is the antidote to desire.

    John Bell, Joseph Addison, Michael Arne, John Banks, John Brown (1796). “British Theatre: Bonduca”
  • O ay, letters - I had letters - I am persecuted with letters - I hate letters - nobody knows how to write letters; and yet one has 'em, one does not know why - they serve one to pin up one's hair.

    Hate   Writing   Hair  
    1700 The Way of the World, act 2, sc.5.
  • Women are like tricks by sleight of hand, Which, to admire, we should not understand

    1695 Valentine. Love for Love, act 4, sc.21.
  • Turn pimp, flatterer, quack, lawyer, parson, be chaplain to an atheist, or stallion to an old woman, anything but a poet; for a poet is worse, more servile, timorous and fawning than any I have named.

    William Congreve (1785). “Love for Love: A Comedy”, p.8
  • Courtship is to marriage, as a very witty prologue to a very dull play.

    'The Old Bachelor' (1693) act 5, sc. 10
  • Would any thing but a madman complain of uncertainty? Uncertainty and expectation are joys of life; security is an insipid thing; and the overtaking and possessing of a wish discovers the folly of the chase.

    William. II Congreve William Wycherley (John Vanbrugh and Farquhar George), William. II Wycherley, William Congreve, George Farquhar, John Vanbrugh (1840). “Dramatic Works with Biographical and Critical Notices by Leigh Hunt. - London, Moxon 1840”, p.229
  • 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.

    'Love for Love' (1695) act 5, sc. 2
  • A wit should no more be sincere, than a woman constant; one argues a decay of parts, as to other of beauty.

    1700 The Way of the World, act 1, sc.6.
  • 'Tis well enough for a servant to be bred at an University. But the education is a little too pedantic for a gentleman.

    'Love for Love' (1695) act 5, sc. 3
  • O fie, miss, you must not kiss and tell.

    Love for Love act 2, sc. 10 (1695)
  • Mr Witwould: "Pray, madam, do you pin up your hair with all your letters? I find I must keep copies." Mrs Millamant: "Only with those in verse.... I never pin up my hair with prose."

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

  • Though marriage makes man and wife one flesh, it leaves 'em still two fools.

    'The Double Dealer' (1694) act 2, sc. 3
  • Marriage is honourable, as you say; and if so, wherefore should Cuckoldom be a Discredit, being deriv'd from so honourable a Root?

    1700 The Way of the World, act 3, sc.12.
  • No mask like open truth to cover lies, As to go naked is the best disguise.

    The Double Dealer act 5, sc. 6 (1694)
  • I am a fool, I know it; and yet, Heaven help me, I'm poor enough to be a wit.

    William Congreve (1785). “Love for Love: A Comedy”, p.6
  • No, I'm no enemy to learning; it hurts not me.

    William. II Congreve William Wycherley (John Vanbrugh and Farquhar George), William. II Wycherley, William Congreve, George Farquhar, John Vanbrugh (1840). “Dramatic Works with Biographical and Critical Notices by Leigh Hunt. - London, Moxon 1840”, p.273
  • Every man plays the fool once in his live, but to marry is playing the fool all one's life long.

    John Bell, Joseph Addison, Michael Arne, John Banks, John Brown (1796). “British Theatre: Bonduca”
  • Blessings ever wait on virtuous deeds, and though a late, a sure reward succeeds.

    William. II Congreve William Wycherley (John Vanbrugh and Farquhar George), William. II Wycherley, William Congreve, George Farquhar, John Vanbrugh (1840). “Dramatic Works with Biographical and Critical Notices by Leigh Hunt. - London, Moxon 1840”, p.257
  • It is the business of a comic poet to paint the vices and follies of human kind.

    'The Double Dealer' (1694) epistle dedicatory
  • Music has charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. I've read that things inanimate have moved, and, as with living souls, have been inform'd, by magic numbers and persuasive sound.

    William. II Congreve William Wycherley (John Vanbrugh and Farquhar George), William. II Wycherley, William Congreve, George Farquhar, John Vanbrugh (1840). “Dramatic Works with Biographical and Critical Notices by Leigh Hunt. - London, Moxon 1840”, p.237
  • Hannibal was a very pretty fellow in those days.

    William Congreve (1694). “The Old Batchelour ... The fourth edition, corrected”, p.11
  • Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear.

  • I know a lady that loves to talk so incessantly, she won't give an echo fair play; she has that everlasting rotation of tongue that an echo must wait till she dies before it can catch her last words!

    William. II Congreve William Wycherley (John Vanbrugh and Farquhar George), William. II Wycherley, William Congreve, George Farquhar, John Vanbrugh (1840). “Dramatic Works with Biographical and Critical Notices by Leigh Hunt. - London, Moxon 1840”, p.268
  • Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.

    "The Mourning Bride". Book by William Congreve, 1697.
  • There is nothing more unbecoming a man of quality than to laugh ... 'tis such a vulgar expression of the passion!

    'The Double Dealer' (1694) act 1, sc. 4.
  • These articles subscribed, if I continue to endure you a little longer, I may by degrees dwindle into wife.

    'The Way of the World' (1700) act 4, sc. 5
  • I confess freely to you, I could never look long upon a monkey, without very mortifying reflections.

    Letter to John Dennis, 10 July 1695
  • Some by experience find those words mis-placed: At leisure married, they repent in haste.

    'The Old Bachelor' (1693) act 5, sc. 8
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  • We hope you have found the saying you were looking for in our collection! At the moment, we have collected 84 quotes from the Playwright William Congreve, starting from January 24, 1670! 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!