It is not growing like a tree In bulk, doth make man better… - Ben Jonson

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It is not growing like a tree In bulk, doth make man better be; Or standing long an oak, three hundred year, To fall a log, dry, bald and sere: A lily of a day, Is fairer far, in May, Although it fall, and die that night; It was the plant and flower of light. In small proportions we just beauties see, And in short measures life may perfect be.

Ben Jonson

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About Ben Jonson

Benjamin Jonson (11 June 1572 – 6 August 1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor, most famous for his plays Volpone and The Alchemist, his lyrics, his influence on Jacobean and Caroline poets, his theory of humours, his contentious personality, and his friendship and rivalry with William Shakespeare.

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Alternative Names: Benjamin Jonson • Ben: Ionſon

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In small proportions we just beauties see; And in short measures, life may perfect be.

A lily of a day
Is fairer far in May,
Although it fall and die that night — It was the plant and flower of Light.
In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be.

Originators like Ben Jonson:

William Shakespeare Geoffrey Chaucer Alexander Pope Walter Scott William Cowper

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Thy worst. I fart at thee.

There's reason good, that you good laws should make: Men's manners ne'er were viler, for your sake.

Words borrowed of antiquity do lend a kind of majesty to style, and are not without their delight sometimes.

It is not growing like a tree In bulk, doth make man better be; Or standing long an oak, three hundred year, To fall a log, dry, bald and sere: A lil… - Ben Jonson

About Ben Jonson

Also Known As

Shorter versions of this quote

Additional quotes by Ben Jonson