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Once in Persia reigned a king
Who upon his signet ring
Graved a maxim true and wise,
Which if held before the eyes
Gave him counsel at a glance
Fit for every change and chance.
Solemn words, and these are they:
"Even this shall pass away."

— Theodore Tilton

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More quotes by Theodore Tilton

"What is fame?
Fame is but a slow decay—
Even this shall pass away."

"What is wealth?" the king would say,
"Even this shall pass away".

"Pleasure comes, but not to stay;
Even this shall pass away."

But I account it worth
All pangs of fair hopes crost—
All loves and honors lost,—
To gain the heavens, at cost
Of losing earth.

I won a noble fame;
But with a sudden frown,
The people snatched my crown,
And, in the mire, trod down
My lofty name.

All Theodore Tilton quotes →

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You can never plan the future by the past.

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Nothing is there to come, and nothing past,
But an eternal now does always last.

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Attribution

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