To read my book the virgin shy
May blush while Brutus standeth by,
But when he’s gone, read through what’s writ,
And never stain a cheek for it.Robert Herrick (1591-1674) English poet
“Another [To His Booke],” Hesperides, # 4 (1648)
(Source)
A translation (if not so labeled) of the concluding lines of Martial ep. 11.6. Brutus stands as a paragon of moral rectitude.
Quotations about:
blushing
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
Men don’t so much blush for their Crimes, as for their Weaknesses and Vanity.
[Les hommes rougissent moins de leurs crimes que de leurs faiblesses et de leur vanité.]
Jean de La Bruyère (1645-1696) French essayist, moralist
The Characters [Les Caractères], ch. 4 “Of the Heart [Du Coeur],” § 74 (4.74) (1688) [Bullord ed. (1696)]
(Source)
(Source (French)). Alternate translations:Men blush not so much for their Crimes, as for their Weaknesses and Vanity.
[Curll ed. (1713)]Men don't so much blush for their Crimes, as for their Weaknesses and Vanity.
[Browne ed. (1752)]Men are less ashamed of their crimes than of their weaknesses and their vanity.
[tr. Van Laun (1885)]Men are less ashamed of their crimes than of their failings and of what touches their vanity.
[tr. Stewart (1970)]
DIARY, n. A daily record of that part of one’s life, which he can relate to himself without blushing.
Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) American writer and journalist
“Diary,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)
(Source)
Included in The Devil's Dictionary (1911). Originally published in the "Devil's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Wasp (1882-05-24).
