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See the kind seed-receiving earth
To every grain affords a birth:
On her no showers unwelcome fall,
Her willing womb retains 'em all,
And shall my Caelia be confined?
No, live up to thy mighty mind,
And be the mistress of Mankind!

— John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester Poems on Several Occasions (1680)

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More quotes by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester

There's not a thing on Earth, that I can name,
So foolish, and so false, as common fame.

Poems on Several Occasions (1680)

Love a woman? You're an ass!
'Tis a most insipid passion
To choose out for your happiness
The silliest part of God's creation.

Poems on Several Occasions (1680)

Dead, we become the lumber of the world.

Poems on Several Occasions (1680)

The Elephant is never won with Anger,
Nor must that man, who would reclaim a Lion,
Take him by the teeth.

Valentinian (1685)

Natural freedoms are but just:
There's something generous in mere lust.

A Ramble in St. James' Park (1672)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.