George Herbert Quotes

Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,

Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack

From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,

If I lacked any thing.

You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:

So I did sit and eat.

Now I am here; what thou wilt do with me
None of my books will show:
I read and sigh and wish I were a tree,
For sure, then I should grow
To fruit or shade: At least some bird would trust
Her household to me, and I should be just.

Then they labour anxiously, when they overdo it, to the loss of their quiet and health: then distrustfully, when they doubt God's providence, thinking that their own labour is the cause of their thriving, as if it were in their own hands to thrive or not to thrive. Then they labour profanely, when they set themselves to work like brute beasts, never raising their thoughts to God, nor sanctifying their labour with daily prayer; when on the Lord's day they do unnecessary servile work,

who aimeth at the sky, Shoots higher than he that means a tree.

67. Never had ill workman good tooles.

Man is one world, and hath
Another to attend him.

Wit's an unruly engine, wildly striking
Sometimes a friend, sometimes the engineer.

169. God heales, and the physitian hath the thankes.

445. A great ship askes deepe waters.

317. Be not a baker if your head be of butter.

When God at first made man,
Having a glasse of blessings standing by;
Let us (said he) poure on him all we can:
Let the world’s riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.
So strength first made a way;
Then beautie flow’d, then wisdome, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that alone of all his treasure
Rest in the bottome lay.
For if I should (said he)
Bestow this jewell also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts in stead of me,
And rest in nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlesnesse:
Let him be rich and wearie, that at least,
If goodnesse lead him not, yet wearinesse
May tosse him to my breast.

678. More have repented speech then silence.

196. Hee that lookes not before finds himself behind.

1011. The eye is bigger then the belly.

235. One hand washeth another, and both the face.