Tell troth and shame the devil.
Ben JonsonRead
It strikes! one, two, Three, four, five, six. Enough, enough, dear watch, Thy pulse hath beat enough. Now sleep and rest; Would thou could'st make the time to do so too; I'll wind thee up no more.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the inevitability of time and the need for rest.
In this quote, Ben Jonson personifies a watch, illustrating the relentless passage of time and the idea that one must eventually come to terms with their own limits. The speaker acknowledges that both the watch and themselves have reached a point of exhaustion, suggesting a deeper commentary on mortality and the need to pause and reflect amidst life's continuous demands.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of self-care, one might say, 'As Ben Jonson noted, 'I'll wind thee up no more,' emphasizing the necessity to take breaks and rejuvenate.
Tell troth and shame the devil.
We are persons of quality, I assure you, and women of fashion, and come to see and to be seen.
All concord's born of contraries.
Queen and huntress, chaste and fair Now the sun is laid to sleep, Seated in thy silver chair, State in wonted manner keep: Hesperus entreats thy light Goddess, excellently bright.
I know no disease of the soul but ignorance, a pernicious evil, the darkener of man's life, the disturber of his reason, and common confounder of truth.
You are not now to think what's best to do, _x000D_ As in beginnings, but what must be done, _x000D_ Being thus enter'd; and slip no advantage _x000D_ That may secure you. Let them call it mischief; _x000D_ When it is past, and prosper'd , 'twill be virtue.
I exist," murmurs someone whose name is Everyone. "I'm young and in love; I am old and I want rest; I work, I prosper, I do good business, I have houses to rent, money in State Securities; I am happy, I have wife and children; I like all these things and I want to go on living, so leave me alone."... There are moments when all this casts a deep chill on the large-minded pioneers of the human race.
The world is not a wish-granting factory.
No matter what, nobody can take away the dances you've already had.
Don't feel badly when you take off work to go for a run, to go for a walk; don't feel badly to take time to play with your children, to be part of their lives. Work is important, but you can't work at your best unless you're a whole person.
The pain was quite extraordinary. And yet also weirdly welcome and restorative, bringing him news of his aliveness and his caughtness in a story larger than himself.
I am a man of passions, capable of and subject to doing more or less foolish things- which I happen to regret, more or less, afterwards.
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