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O thou sophist, Man!
Reason by reason proved unreasonable
Continues reasoning still! Confronted close,
What is this reason? Like the peacock's tail,
Just useful for a flourish, nothing more;
And when 'tis down, the world goes on the same.

— Alfred Austin Prince Lucifer (1887)

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More quotes by Alfred Austin

Hospitality should be accidental, spontaneous, and impulsive, not pre-arranged and calculated.

Haunts of Ancient Peace (1902)

Women are more frequently charming than men, because they are less self-conscious.

The Garden That I Love: Second Series (1907)

Whatever else he may do, a critic reveals and criticises himself.

In Veronica's Garden (1895)

Show me your garden, provided it be your own, and I will tell you what you are like.

The Garden That I Love (1894)

Once learn how Nature gardens for herself, and you will be able to spare yourself a good deal of trouble.

The Garden That I Love (1894)

All Alfred Austin quotes →

Attribution

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