You likely know that the Bible is the most quoted book in history. And perhaps you are aware that Shakespeare – none other than the great bad Bill himself – is the most quoted author outside of the Bible. But do you know who is a very close second?
If you guessed Alexander Pope then you’d be correct. But just who is Alexander Pope?
Well, first off, he was born a long, long time ago. 1688 to be exact. He suffered from Potts’ Disease and never grew past 4’6″ tall. This became a curse as he was the object of much ridicule during his lifetime.
The Words Of Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope started writing poetry at the age of 12 and went on to publish some very long poems, including The Rape of the Lock. The Rape was a satire that made fun of a couple during Pope’s lifetime and an actual event that involved a lock of hair. Two characters in this story, Belinda and Umbriel, now have moons rotating around Uranus named after them.
Some of the popular sayings that were first attributed to Alexander Pope include such gems as:
- Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
- To err is human; to forgive, divine
- A little learning is a dangerous thing
- Never find fault with the absent
- Those move easiest who have learned to dance
- Order is heaven’s first law
- The worst of madmen is a saint gone mad
- A wit with dunces, and a dunce with wits
- Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul
- Wit is the lowest form of humor
- Of manners gentle, of affections mild; in wit a man, simplicity a child
- Hope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never is, but always to be blest
- To be angry is to revenge the faults of others on ourselves
- How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise
- The vulgar boil, the learned roast, an egg
- The proper study of mankind is man
- So vast is art, so narrow human wit
- Woman’s at best a contradiction still
How about you? Do you have a favorite Alexander Pope quote?
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