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If that thy fame with ev'ry toy be pos'd,
'Tis a thin web, which poysonous fancies make;
But the great souldier's honour was compos'd
Of thicker stuf, which would endure a shake.
Wisdom picks friends; civility plays the rest;
A toy shunn'd cleanly passeth with the best.

— George Herbert The Temple (1633)

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Fame

More quotes by George Herbert

A verse may finde him,who a sermon flies
And turns delight into a sacrifice.

The Temple (1633)

Knowledge is folly unless grace guide it.

The worst speak something good; if all want sense,
God takes a text, and preacheth Pa-ti-ence.

The Temple (1633)

Wit's an unruly engine, wildly striking
Sometimes a friend, sometimes the engineer.

The Temple (1633)

Love your neighbor, yet pull not down your hedge.

Jacula Prudentum (1651)

All George Herbert quotes →

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: George Herbert (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.