William Cowper Quotes

Quotes about:

• Knowledge is proud that it knows so much; wisdom is humble that it knows no more.

  William Cowper

  Inspirational, Life, Motivational

  96 Copy quote

• My soul is sick with every day's report of wrong and outrage with which earth is filled.

  William Cowper

  Sick, Soul, Earth

  William Cowper (1855). “Thoughts on War and Warriors; extracted from the poetical writings of William Cowper”, p.15

  4 Copy quote

• God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sovereign will. Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

  William Cowper

  Courage, Failure, Moving

  Olney Hymns "Light Shining Out of Darkness" l. 1 (1779)

  31 Copy quote

• No traveler e'er reached that blest abode who found not thorns and briers in his road.

  William Cowper

  Acceptance, Thorns, Found

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• The path of sorrow, and that path alone, leads to the land where sorrow is unknown.

  William Cowper

  Sadness, Land, Sorrow

  William Cowper (1835). “The Poems of William Cowper ...”, p.386

  8 Copy quote

• Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees.

  William Cowper

  Prayer, Devil, Knees

  William Cowper, “Olney Hymn 29: Exhortation To Prayer”

  37 Copy quote

• Trials make the promise sweet, Trials give new life to prayer; Trials bring me to His feet, Lay me low, and keep me there.

  William Cowper

  Sweet, Prayer, Feet

  William Cowper (1851). “The Works of William Cowper: His Life, Letters, and Poems. Now First Completed by the Introduction of Cowper's Private Correspondence”, p.664

  25 Copy quote

• They whom truth and wisdom lead, can gather honey from a weed.

  William Cowper

  Weed, Wisdom, Truth

  William Cowper, James Thomson (1832). “The Works of Cowper and Thompson: Including Many Letters and Poems Never Before Published in this Country. With a New and Interesting Memoir of the Life of Thomson”, p.124

  13 Copy quote

• Existence is a strange bargain. Life owes us little; we owe it everything. The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose.

  William Cowper

  Life, Happiness, Littles

  18 Copy quote

• We are never more in danger than when we think ourselves most secure, nor in reality more secure than when we seem to be most in danger.

  William Cowper

  Reality, Thinking, Danger

  William Cowper (1862). “Letters of William Cowper; being a selection from his correspondence: with a sketch of his life, and biographical notices of his correspondents. [With a portrait.]”, p.215

  7 Copy quote

• Grief is itself a medicine.

  William Cowper

  Death, Pain, Grief

  Charity

  64 Copy quote

• Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.

  William Cowper

  Life, Giving, Inspire

  The Task bk. 2 "The Timepiece" l. 606 (1785) See Behn 1

  103 Copy quote

• God made bees, and bees made honey, God made man, and man made money, Pride made the devil, and the devil made sin; So God made a cole-pit to put the devil in.

  William Cowper

  Pride, Men, Devil

  7 Copy quote

• Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed.

  William Cowper

  Wisdom, Relaxation, Mind

  William Cowper, James Montgomery (1825). “Poems of William Cowper ... With an introductory essay by James Montgomery ... Second edition”, p.240

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• But oars alone can ne'er prevail To reach the distant coast; The breath of Heaven must swell the sail, Or all the toil is lost.

  William Cowper

  Heaven, Toil, Lost

  William Cowper (1822). “The poems of William Cowper”, p.226

  9 Copy quote

• Knowledge and wisdom, far from being one,
  Have oft-times no connection. Knowledge dwells
  In heads replete with thoughts of other men;
  Wisdom in minds attentive to their own.

  William Cowper

  Knowledge, Men, Mind

  'The Task' (1785) bk. 6 'The Winter Walk at Noon' l. 89

  59 Copy quote

• The bird that flutters least is longest on the wing.

  William Cowper

  Wings, Bird, Endurance

  William Cowper (1856). “The task, Table talk, and other poems: With critical observations of various authors on his genius and character, and notes, critical and illustrative”, p.334

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• When nations are to perish in their sins, 'tis in the Church the leprosy begins.

  William Cowper

  Church, Leprosy, Sin

  William Cowper (1824). “Poems of William Cowper, Esq”, p.57

  20 Copy quote

• Man may dismiss compassion from his heart, but God never will.

  William Cowper

  God, Heart, Men

  William Cowper, “The Task: Book Vi. -- The Winter Walk At Noon”

  39 Copy quote

• The Spirit breathes upon the Word and brings the truth to sight.

  William Cowper

  Sight, Spirit, Breathe

  William Cowper (1855). “The Works of William Cowper: His Life, Letters, and Poems : Now First Completed by the Introduction of Cowper's Private Correspondence”, p.677

  9 Copy quote

• Some people are more nice than wise.

  William Cowper

  Wise, Wisdom, Nice

  William Cowper, Robert Southey, William Harvey (1835). “The Works of William Cowper: Comprising His Poems, Correspondence, and Translations. With a Life of the Author”, p.213

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• Vice stings us even in our pleasures, but virtue consoles us even in our pains.

  William Cowper

  Pain, Vices, Virtue

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• A heretic, my dear sir, is a fellow who disagrees with you regarding something neither of you knows anything about.

  William Cowper

  Atheism, Dear, Heretic

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• The Cross! There, and there only (though the deist rave, and the atheist, if Earth bears so base a slave); There and there only, is the power to save.

  William Cowper

  Atheist, Easter, Earth

  William Cowper, D Macvean (1830). “Poems”, p.36

  8 Copy quote

• But still remember, if you mean to please, To press your point with modesty and ease.

  William Cowper

  Mean, Ease, Modesty

  William Cowper, John William Cunningham (1835). “The works ¬of William Cowper: Poems : with an essay on the genius and poetry of Cowper”, p.158

  7 Copy quote

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