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Our 'prentice, Tom, may now refuse
To wipe his scoundrel master's shoes;
For now he's free to sing and play
Over the hills and far away.

— George Farquhar

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Source and credibility

Wikiquote does not flag this quote as disputed or misattributed.

Source: Over the Hills and Far Away, Act II, scene 3.
Source quality: Precise citation Points to a specific work with a page, chapter, date or similar locator, so you can look it up.

More by George Farquhar

I hate all that don’t love me, and slight all that do.

The Constant Couple (1699)

Necessity, the mother of invention.

The Twin Rivals (1702)

Hanging and marriage, you know, go by destiny.

The Recruiting Officer (1706)

Our sex still strikes an awe upon the brave,
And only cowards dare affront a woman.

The Constant Couple (1699)

I believe they talked of me, for they laughed consumedly.

The Beaux’ Stratagem (1707)

Vivitur ingenio, that damn'd motto there
Seduced me first to be a wicked player.

Crimes, like Virtues, are their own Rewards.

The Inconstant (1702)

[T]hose who know the least, obey the best.

The Recruiting Officer (1706)

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Topics

Music

More quotes by George Farquhar

There is no scandal like rags, nor any crime so shameful as poverty.

The Beaux’ Stratagem (1707)

There's no scandal like rags, nor any crime so shameful as poverty.

I see you have a singing face — a heavy, dull, sonata face.

Charming women can true converts make,
We love the precepts for the teacher’s sake.

The Constant Couple (1699)

’T was for the good of my country that I should be abroad.

The Beaux’ Stratagem (1707)

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Music has no subject beyond the combinations of notes we hear, for music speaks not only by means of sounds, it speaks nothing but sound.

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Above the pitch, out of tune, and off the hinges.

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Attribution

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