The Works of Ben Jonson, Second Folio (1640), Timber: or Discoveries
“Then proudly smiled that old man
To see the eager lad
Rush madly for his pen and ink
And for his blotting-pad –
But, when he thought of publishing,
His face grew stern and sad.”
Poeta Fit, Non Nascitur, last stanza
Rhyme? and Reason? (1883)
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Lewis Carroll 241
English writer, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer 1832–1898Related quotes
“The old man was sad as he sat on his porch. He knew so little of the Great Purpose.”
"The Big Hunger" (1952)
Context: The old man was sad as he sat on his porch. He knew so little of the Great Purpose. Why must his seed fling itself starward? He knew that it must — but he lacked a reason. His grandchildren played in the twilight, played space-games, although there was not yet a starship on the planet.
“No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had.”
On Oliver Goldsmith1780
Life of Samuel Johnson (1791), Vol IV
Ecclesiastes 8:1-4 http://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/nwt/books/ecclesiastes/8/, NWT
“His thoughts grew confused, and he mistook that quality for complexity.”
Source: Relatives (1973)., Chapter 12 (p. 190).