John Heywood quotes
John Heywood (1497–1580): English writer known for plays, poems and a collection of proverbs. The library holds 96 quotes by John Heywood, drawn from Proverbes, Be Merry Friends, The Green Willow. The 60 below are the most quoted; search the library in the maker for the rest.
Often about: life, faith, love, time, family, power
The best-known John Heywood quotes
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Let the world slide, let the world go; A fig for care, and a fig for woe! If I can’t pay, why I can owe, And death makes equal the high and low.
Be Merry Friends -
Enough is as good as a feast.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. xi -
Love me, love my dog.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. ix -
The loss of wealth is loss of dirt, As sages in all times assert; The happy man’s without a shirt.
Be Merry Friends -
The grey mare is the better horse.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. iv -
Better late than never.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. x Disputed attribution -
Let the world wagge, and take mine ease in myne Inne.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. v -
The cat would eate fish, and would not wet her feete.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
Rome was not built in one day.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
It will not out of the flesh that is bred in the bone.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. viii -
Who is so deafe or so blinde as is hee That wilfully will neither heare nor see?
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. ix -
She is nether fish nor flesh, nor good red herring.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. x -
All a green willow, willow, All a green willow is my garland.
The Green Willow -
And while I at length debate and beate the bush, There shall steppe in other men and catch the burdes.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. iii -
A man may well bring a horse to the water, But he cannot make him drinke without he will.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
Seven cities warred for Homer being dead, Who living had no roof to shroud his head.
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This wonder (as wonders last) lasted nine daies.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. i -
When the steede is stolne, shut the stable durre.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. x -
Went in at the tone eare and out at the tother.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. ix -
No man ought to looke a given horse in the mouth.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. v -
Feare may force a man to cast beyond the moone.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. iv -
I pray thee let me and my fellow have A haire of the dog that bit us last night.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
Reckeners without their host must recken twice.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. viii -
He that will not when he may, When he would he shall have nay.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. iii -
Now for good lucke, cast an old shooe after me.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. ix -
Would yee both eat your cake and have your cake?
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. ix -
Much water goeth by the mill That the miller knoweth not of.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. v -
Who is worse shod than the shoemaker’s wife?
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
To hold with the hare and run with the hound.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. x -
For when I gave you an inch, you tooke an ell.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. ix -
To th’ end of a shot and beginning of a fray.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. vii -
Might have gone further and have fared worse.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. iv -
Better one byrde in hand than ten in the wood.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
The neer to the church, the further from God.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. ix -
She looketh as butter would not melt in her mouth.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. x -
I know on which side my bread is buttred.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. vii -
Content’s a kingdom, and I wear that crown.
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Out of Gods blessing into the warme Sunne.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. v -
I perfectly feele even at my fingers end.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. vi -
Every man for himselfe and God for us all.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. ix -
Nothing is impossible to a willing hart.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. iv -
Three may keepe counsayle, if two be away.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. v -
All thing is the woorse for the wearing.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. i -
Leape out of the frying pan into the fyre.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. v -
The greatest Clerkes be not the wisest men.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. v -
Fieldes have eies and woods have eares.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. v -
The still sowe eats up all the draffe.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. x -
Better is halfe a lofe than no bread.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
The wise man sayth, store is no sore.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. v -
The moone is made of a greene cheese.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. vii -
God never sends th’ mouth but he sendeth meat.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. iv -
Yee have many strings to your bowe.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
There is no fire without some smoke.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. v -
It hurteth not the toung to give faire words.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. ix -
The rolling stone never gathereth mosse.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. xi -
All is not Gospell that thou doest speake.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. ii -
An ill winde that bloweth no man to good.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. ix -
A hard beginning maketh a good ending.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. iv -
Of a good beginning cometh a good end.
Proverbes, Part i. Chap. x -
A woman hath nine lives like a cat.
Proverbes, Part ii. Chap. iv
Where these quotes come from
- Proverbes (91 quotes)
- Be Merry Friends (2 quotes)
- The Green Willow (1 quote)
Every quote comes from a public-domain edition. How the library was made .