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Quotes from The Art of Poetry — Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux

1636–1711 France

← All quotes by Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux

10 quotes

Hasten slowly, and without losing heart,
Put your work twenty times upon the anvil.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

Happy the poet who with ease can steer
From grave to gay, from lively to severe.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

Every age has its pleasures, its style of wit, and its own ways.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

A fool always finds one still more foolish to admire him.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

Often the fear of one evil leads us into a worse.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

That which is repeated too often becomes insipid and tedious.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

Un fat quelquefois ouvre un avis important.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

Whatever is well conceived is clearly said,
And the words to say it flow with ease.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

At times truth may not seem probable.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

Truth has not such an urgent air.

The Art of Poetry (1674)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.