Men are but children of a larger growth, Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, And full as craving too, and full as vain.
John DrydenRead
She, though in full-blown flower of glorious beauty, Grows cold even in the summer of her age.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Beauty fades with time, even at its peak.
In this quote, John Dryden reflects on the nature of beauty and the inevitability of aging. He suggests that even when someone is at their most beautiful, they are still subject to the passage of time, which brings about change and a loss of that beauty, even in the prime of life.
Themes
BeautyAgingTransienceLifeLove
In practice
Example use cases
In a romantic card for a partner reflecting on the beauty of love through the years.
More from John Dryden
All quotes βOf no distemper, of no blast he died, _x000D_ But fell like autumn fruit that mellow'd long: _x000D_ Even wonder'd at, because he dropp'd no sooner. _x000D_ Fate seem'd to wind him up for fourscore years; _x000D_ Yet freshly ran he on ten winters more; _x000D_ Till like a clock worn out with eating time, _x000D_ The wheels of weary life at last stood still.
John DrydenRead
Or hast thou known the world so long in vain?
John DrydenRead
Shame on the body for breaking down while the spirit perseveres.
John DrydenRead
Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age.
John DrydenRead
And write whatever Time shall bring to pass_x000D_ _x000D_ With pens of adamant on plates of brass.
John DrydenRead
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Were spirits free from mortal mesh_x000D_ _x000D_ And love not bound in hearts of flesh_x000D_ _x000D_ No aching breasts would yearn to meet_x000D_ _x000D_ And find their ecstasy complete._x000D_ _x000D_ For who is there that lives and knows_x000D_ _x000D_ The secret powers by which he grows?
Christopher BrennanRead
I am dying into your mystery, and dying, I am now no other than that mystery. I open to your majesty as an orchard welcomes rain, and twenty times that.
RumiRead
Beware how you give your heart.
Jane AustenRead
I used to look in the mirror and feel shame, I look in the mirror now and I absolutely love myself.
Drew BarrymoreRead
Through your love for each other, through learning the art of making one person happy, you learn to express your love for the whole of humanity and all beings. Please help us develop the curriculum for the Institute for the Happiness of One Person. Don't wait until we open the school. You can begin practicing right away.
Nhat HanhRead
What is essential in love is what the French call 'amour fou.' What is that in English? Crazy love? That doesn't sound as beautiful. It's a total kind of love that not only embraces feelings, actions, but a kind of understanding of the world from the perspective of love.
Mario Vargas LlosaRead