“Him of the western dome, whose weighty sense
Flows in fit words and heavenly eloquence.”
Pt. I, line 868.
The Hind and the Panther (1687)
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John Dryden 196
English poet and playwright of the XVIIth century 1631–1700Related quotes
“When he moves, a streetlight stabs him, and the words flow out like blood.”
Source: I Am the Messenger
“Silence is more eloquent than words.”
A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings with George Müller Written by Himself, First Part.
First Part of Narrative
"Under One Small Star"
Poems New and Collected (1998), Could Have (1972)
Context: I know I won't be justified as long as I live,
since I myself stand in my own way.
Don't bear me ill will, speech, that I borrow weighty words,
then labor heavily so that they may seem light.
“Religion! what treasure untold
Resides in that heavenly word!”
Source: Verses supposed to be written by Alexander Selkirk (1782), Line 25.
Beast and Man: The Roots of Human Nature (1979). 139.
Context: The trouble with words like "fit" in these discussions is that, if taken in a wide sense they are liable to become vacuous, and if taken more narrowly they easily become tendentious. Thus the phrase "survival of the fittest" does not mean much if it means only "survival of those most likely to survive." If on the hand it means "survival of those whom we should admire most" or the like, it describes a different state of affairs; we shall need different arguments to persuade us that this is happening. In just the same way, Wilson equivocates with the notion that to be "fit" is an advantage to anybody. If it means "healthy" or "able to do what he wants to do" then it usually is so. But if it only means "likely to have many descendants," then there is no reason for treating it as an advantage at all.