There is no sinner like a young saint.
—The Rover (1677), I.ii.
Pox of Poverty, it makes a Man a Slave,
makes Wit and Honour sneak, my Soul grow
lean and rusty for want of Credit.
—The Rover (1677), III.i.
Oh, I am arm'd with more than complete steel,—
The Justice of my Quarrel.
—Abdelazar, or The Moor's Revenge (1677), IV.v.
Patience is a flatterer, Sir—and an Ass, Sir.
—The Feign'd Courtesans(1679), III.i.
Variety is the soul of pleasure.
—The Second Part of The Rover (1680), I.
Come away; Poverty's catching.
—The Second Part of The Rover (1680), I.
Money speaks sense in a language all nations understand.
—The Second Part of The Rover (1680), IV.i.
One hour of right-down Love,
Is worth an Age of living dully on.
—The Second Part of The Rover (1680), V.i.
A brave world, sir, full of religion, knavery,
and change: we shall shortly see better days.
—The Roundheads (1682), I.i.
Yet if thou didst but know how little
wit governs this mighty universe.
—The Roundheads (1682), I.i.
Love ceases to be a pleasure,
when it ceases to be a secret.
—The Lover's Watch (1686)
Faith, sir, we are here today, and gone tomorrow.
—Lucky Chance (1687), IV.i.
Oh what a dear ravishing thing is the beginning of an Amour!
—The Emperor of the Moon (1687), I.i.
Of all that writ, he was the wisest bard, who spoke this
mighty truth — He that knew all that ever learning writ,
Knew only this — that he knew nothing yet.
—The Emperor of the Moon (1687) III.iii.
As love is the most noble and divine passion
of the soul, so is it that to which we may justly
attribute all the real satisfactions of life, and
without it, man is unfinished and unhappy.
—The Fair Jilt (1688)
That perfect Tranquillity of Life, which is nowhere to be
found but in retreat, a faithful Friend and a good Library.
—The Lucky Mistake (1688)
|
Aphra Behn
