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“Proverbs of Hell” by William Blake 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (28 Nov 1757 – 12 Aug 1827)
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
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Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.
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The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
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Prudence is a rich, ugly old maid courted by Incapacity.
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He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.
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The cut worm forgives the plow.
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Dip him in the river who loves water.
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A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.
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He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.
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Eternity is in love with the productions of time.
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The busy bee has no time for sorrow.
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The hours of folly are measur’d by the clock; but of wisdom, no clock can measure.
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All wholesome food is caught without a net or a trap.
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Bring out number, weight and measure in a year of dearth.
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No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.
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A dead body revenges not injuries.
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The most sublime act is to set another before you.
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If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.
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Folly is the cloak of knavery.
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Shame is Pride’s cloke.
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Prisons are built with stones of law, brothels with bricks of religion.
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The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.
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The lust of the goat is the bounty of God.
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The wrath of the lion is the wisdom of God.
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The nakedness of woman is the work of God.
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Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps.
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The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity, too great for the eye of man.
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The fox condemns the trap, not himself.
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Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth.
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Let man wear the fell of the lion, woman the fleece of the sheep.
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The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.
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The selfish, smiling fool, and the sullen, frowning fool shall be both thought wise, that they may be a rod.
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What is now proved was once only imagin’d.
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The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbit watch the roots; the lion, the tyger, the horse, the elephant watch the fruits.
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The cistern contains: the fountain overflows.
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One thought fills immensity.
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Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you.
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Every thing possible to be believ’d is an image of truth.
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The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of the crow.
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The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion.
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Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.
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He who has suffer’d you to impose on him, knows you.
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As the plow follows words, so God rewards prayers.
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The tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.
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Expect poison from the standing water.
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You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.
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Listen to the fool’s reproach! it is a kingly title!
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The eyes of fire, the nostrils of air, the mouth of water, the beard of earth.
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The weak in courage is strong in cunning.
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The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow; nor the lion, the horse, how he shall take his prey.
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The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.
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If others had not been foolish, we should be so.
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The soul of sweet delight can never be defil’d.
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When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!
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As the caterpiller chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
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To create a little flower is the labour of ages.
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Damn braces. Bless relaxes.
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The best wine is the oldest, the best water the newest.
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Prayers plow not! Praises reap not!
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Joys laugh not! Sorrows weep not!
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The head Sublime, the heart Pathos, the genitals Beauty, the hands and feet Proportion.
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As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible.
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The crow wish’d every thing was black, the owl that every thing was white.
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Exuberance is Beauty.
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If the lion was advised by the fox, he would be cunning.
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Improvement makes strait roads; but the crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius.
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Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires.
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Where man is not, nature is barren.
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Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ’d.
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Enough! or too much.