WIST Quotations

Wordsworth, William -- “Brave Schill! By Death Delivered, Take Thy Flight” (1809; pub. 1815)

Dave — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 20:40:26 +0000

… a noble aim,
Faithfully kept, is as a noble deed,
In whose pure sight all virtue doth succeed.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
“Brave Schill! By Death Delivered, Take Thy Flight” (1809; pub. 1815)
(Source)

Sometimes misquoted "is a noble deed".

Wordsworth, William -- “From the Dark Chambers of Dejection Freed,” ll. 13-14 (1814)

Dave — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:15:57 +0000

A cheerful life is what the Muses love,
A soaring spirit is their prime delight.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
“From the Dark Chambers of Dejection Freed,” ll. 13-14 (1814)
(Source)

Wordsworth, William -- “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” st. 4 (1807)

Dave — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:50:34 +0000

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” st. 4 (1807)

Wordsworth, William -- “Inside of King’s College Chapel, Cambridge,” Ecclesiastical Sonnets, Part 3, # 43, ll. 6-7 (1822)

Dave — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 15:43:21 +0000

Give all thou canst; high Heaven rejects the lore
Of nicely calculated less or more.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
“Inside of King’s College Chapel, Cambridge,” Ecclesiastical Sonnets, Part 3, # 43, ll. 6-7 (1822)
(Source)

Wordsworth, William -- “Lines Composed a few Miles above Tintern Abbey” (13 Jul 1798)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

That best portion of a good man’s life,
His little, nameless, unremembered acts
Of kindness and love.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
“Lines Composed a few Miles above Tintern Abbey” (13 Jul 1798)
(Source)

Often paraphrased into a sentence, e.g., "The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love."

Wordsworth, William -- “Lines Composed A Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” (13 Jul 1798)

Dave — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 16:40:46 +0000

Neither evil tongues,
Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,
Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all
The dreary intercourse of daily life,
Shall e’er prevail against us.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
“Lines Composed A Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” (13 Jul 1798)

Wordsworth, William -- “Personal Talk,” st. 3 (1846)

Dave — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 19:55:08 +0000

Dreams, books, are each a world; and books we know,
Are a substantial world, both pure and good:
Round these, with tendrils strong as flesh and blood,
Our pastime and our happiness will grow.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
“Personal Talk,” st. 3 (1846)
(Source)

Wordsworth, William -- “The Armenian Lady’s Love” (1835)

Dave — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:52:24 +0000

Worse than idle is compassion
If it ends in tears and sighs.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
“The Armenian Lady’s Love” (1835)