Philip Sidney Quotes

November 30 1554 – October 17, 1586

Sir Philip Sidney (November 30 1554 – October 17 1586) was an English courtier, soldier, poet and romancer. He was a friend and patron of Edmund Spenser, whose poetry he deeply influenced. During his own lifetime he attracted extraordinary admiration throughout Europe as the model of a Christian knight and chivalrous gentleman.

Either I will find a way, or I will make one.
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More Philip Sidney Quotes

The only disadvantage of an honest heart is credulity.

Philip Sidney
— Philip Sidney in: The Monthly Religious Magazine and Independent Journal, Volume 19, Leonard C. Bowles, 1858, p.386

Tags: disadvantage, honest, heart, credulity

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Take thou of me, sweet pillowes, sweetest bed; A chamber deafe of noise, and blind of light, A rosie garland and a weary hed.

Philip Sidney
— Astrophel and Stella, Stanza 39.

Tags: sleep, me, sweet, sweetest, bed, chamber, deafe, noise, blind

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My true love hath my heart, and I have his, By just exchange, one for the other given.

Philip Sidney
— "My true love hath my heart, and I have his".

Tags: true, love, heart, exchange, one, other, given

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And thou my minde aspire to higher things; Grow rich in that which never taketh rust.

Philip Sidney
— Sidney, Sonnet. Leave me, O Love. Quote reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 419-23.

Tags: minde, aspire, higher, things, Grow, rich, never, taketh, rust

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Sweet food of sweetly uttered knowledge .

Philip Sidney
— Sidney, Defence of Poesy. Quote reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 419-23.

Tags: Sweet, food, sweetly, uttered, knowledge

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Open suspecting others comes of secret condemning themselves.

Philip Sidney
— Book 1, page 144.

Tags: Open, suspecting, others, secret, condemning, themselves

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Who shoots at the mid-day sun, though he be sure he shall never hit the mark, yet as sure he is he shall shoot higher than who aims but at a bush.

Philip Sidney
— Book 2, page 253.

Tags: Who, shoots, midday, sun, never, hit, mark, yet, shoot

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A fair woman shall not only command without authority but persuade without speaking.

Philip Sidney
— Book 3, page 485.

Tags: fair, woman, command, without, authority, persuade, speaking

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My dear, my better half

Philip Sidney
— Book III. books.google

Tags: better, half

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....But words came halting forth, wanting Invention's stay, Invention, Nature's child, fled step-dame Study's blows, And others' feet still seemed but strangers in my way. Thus great with child to speak, and helpless in my throes, Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite: "Fool," said my Muse to me, "look in thy heart and write."

Philip Sidney
— Sonnet 1,Concluding couplet from Loving in truth,and fain in verse my love to show
Compare: "Look, then, into thine heart and write", Henry W. Longfellow, Voices of the Night, Prelude.

Tags: words, halting, wanting, Invention's, stay, Invention, Nature's, child, fled

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Have I caught my heav'nly jewel.

Philip Sidney
— Sonnet 1, Second Song. Note: Quoted by William Shakespeare in Merry Wives of Windsor.

Tags: caught, heav'nly, jewel

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Come sleep, O sleep, the certain knot of peace, The baiting place of wit, the balm of woe, The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release, The indifferent judge between the high and low.

Philip Sidney
— Sonnet 39, line 1.

Tags: sleep, certain, knot, peace, baiting, place, wit, balm, woe

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That sweet enemy, France.

Philip Sidney
— Sonnet 41, line 4.

Tags: sweet, enemy, France

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Stella, think not that I by verse seek fame, Who seek, who hope, who love, who live but thee; Thine eyes my pride, thy lips mine history: If thou praise not, all other praise is shame.

Philip Sidney
— Sonnet 90.

Tags: Stella, think, verse, seek, fame, Who, hope, love, live

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Sweet food of sweetly uttered knowledge.

Philip Sidney
— Book I. (An Apology of Poetry, or The Defence of Poesy (1581))

Tags: Sweet, food, sweetly, uttered, knowledge

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I never heard the old song of Percy and Douglas that I found not my heart moved more than with a trumpet.

Philip Sidney
— Book I. (An Apology of Poetry, or The Defence of Poesy (1581))

Tags: never, heard, old, song, Percy, Douglas, found, heart, moved

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High-erected thoughts seated in the heart of courtesy.

Philip Sidney
— Book I. Compare: "Great thoughts come from the heart", Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues, Maxim cxxvii.

Tags: thoughts, seated, heart, courtesy

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They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts.

Philip Sidney
— Book I. Compare: "He never is alone that is accompanied with noble thoughts", John Fletcher, Love's Cure, act iii. sc. 3.

Tags: never, alone, accompanied, noble, thoughts

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Many-headed multitude.

Philip Sidney
— Book II. Compare: "Many-headed multitude", William Shakespeare, Coriolanus, act ii. sc. 3.; "This many-headed monster, Multitude", Daniel, History of the Civil War, book ii. st. 13.

Tags: Manyheaded, multitude

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There have been many most excellent poets that never versified, and now swarm many versifiers that need never answer to the name of poets.

Philip Sidney
— Page 87. (An Apology of Poetry, or The Defence of Poesy (1581))

Tags: There, been, most, excellent, poets, never, versified, now, swarm

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With a tale forsooth he cometh unto you, with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner.

Philip Sidney
— Page 95. (An Apology of Poetry, or The Defence of Poesy (1581))

Tags: tale, forsooth, cometh, you, holdeth, children, play, old, men

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Certainly, I must confess my own barbarousness, I never heard the old song of Percy and Douglas that I found not my heart moved more than with a trumpet.

Philip Sidney
— Page 99.
The old song is usually known as "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" or "The Hunting of the Cheviot".

Tags: confess, own, never, heard, old, song, Percy, Douglas, found

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Poetry, a speaking picture... to teach and delight

Philip Sidney
— From 'Tracing Aristotle's Rhetoric' in Defense of Poesy 1581.

Tags: Poetry, speaking, picture, teach, delight

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In the sweetly constituted mind of Sir Philip Sidney, it seems as if no ugly thought or unhandsome meditation could find a harbour. He turned all that he touched into images of honour and virtue.

Philip Sidney
— Charles Lamb "Characters of Dramatic Writers, Contemporary with Shakspeare", in Thomas Hutchinson (ed.) The Works in Prose and Verse of Charles and Mary Lamb (1908) vol. 1, p. 70.

Tags: sweetly, constituted, mind, Sir, Sidney, ugly, thought, unhandsome, meditation

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Hard-hearted minds relent and rigor's tears abound, And envy strangely rues his end, in whom no fault was found. Knowledge her light hath lost, valor hath slain her knight, Sidney is dead, dead is my friend, dead is the world's delight.

Philip Sidney
— Fulke Greville, Epitaph on Sir Philip Sidney.

Tags: Hardhearted, minds, relent, rigor's, tears, abound, envy, strangely, rues

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She is her selfe of best things the collection.

Philip Sidney
— The Arcadia, Thirsis and Dorus.

Tags: women, selfe, best, things, collection

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With a tale forsooth he cometh unto you, with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner.

Philip Sidney
— The Defense of Poesy.

Tags: storytelling, tale, forsooth, cometh, you, holdeth, children, play, old

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Nature never set forth the earth in so rich tapestry as divers poets have done; neither with pleasant rivers, fruitful trees, sweet-smelling flowers, nor whatsoever else may make the too-much-loved earth more lovely; her world is brazen, the poets only deliver a golden.

Philip Sidney
— Philip Sidney, An Apology of Poetry, or The Defence of Poesy (1581)

Tags: Nature, never, set, earth, rich, tapestry, divers, poets, done

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