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All the great things of life are swiftly done,
Creation, death, and love the double gate.
However much we dawdle in the sun
We have to hurry at the touch of Fate.

— John Masefield

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Fate

More quotes by John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky.

God warms his hands at man's heart when he prays.

Love is a flame to burn out human wills,
Love is a flame to set the will on fire,
Love is a flame to cheat men into mire.

Death opens unknown doors. It is most grand to die.

When Life knocks at the door no one can wait,
When Death makes his arrest we have to go.

All John Masefield quotes →

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One country, one constitution, one destiny.

Daniel Webster

We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.

John Lewis

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.

William Jennings Bryan

“Destiny,” said John. “The ghastliest word a man can speak.”

Poul Anderson The Corridors of Time (1965)

Attribution

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