Men of most renowned virtue have sometimes by transgressing most truly kept the law.
— John MiltonTetrachordon (1644–1645)
Use itGS4: letter vs spirit of law; civil disobedience can uphold deeper justice.
Quotes / Thinkers / John Milton
Thinker · 14 quotes
John Milton quotes for UPSC
14 sourced quotes by John Milton on resilience & perseverance, democracy & freedom, time & change, mind & self-awareness, ethics & morality, with a use case for each in GS4, Essay and interviews.
✓ Attributions checked against Wikiquote's sourced list
I will not deny but that the best apology against false accusers is silence and sufferance, and honest deeds set against dishonest words.
— John MiltonApology for Smectymnuus (1642)
Use itGS4: responding to false allegations as a civil servant; let honest work answer.
He who would not be frustrate of his hope to write well hereafter in laudable things ought himself to be a true poem.
— John MiltonApology for Smectymnuus (1642)
Use itGS4: integrity of life and work; to speak of virtue, live it.
None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license.
— John MiltonTenure of Kings and Magistrates (1649)
Use itEssay on liberty vs licence; true freedom needs moral restraint.
No man who knows aught, can be so stupid to deny that all men naturally were born free.
— John MiltonTenure of Kings and Magistrates (1649)
Use itEssay on natural rights; open a piece on human dignity and liberty.
Truth is as impossible to be soiled by any outward touch as the sunbeam.
— John MiltonThe Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce (1643), Introduction. Compare: "The sun, which passeth through pollutions and itself remains as pure
Use itEssay on truth: it remains pure regardless of attacks.
By labor and intent study (which I take to be my portion in this life), joined with the strong propensity of nature, I might perhaps leave something so written to after-times, as they should not willingly let it die.
— John MiltonThe Reason of Church Government (1641), Book II, Introduction
Use itLife: sustained labour and study leave a lasting legacy.
Translation: It is not miserable to be blind; it is miserable to be incapable of enduring blindness.
Use itEssay on disability: misery lies in failing to endure, not in the condition.
Yet I argue not Against Heav'n's hand or will, nor bate one jot Of heart or hope; but still bear up, and steer Right onward.
— John MiltonTo Cyriack Skinner, upon His Blindness (c. 1655)
Use itLife: after a setback, keep hope and steer onward.
Who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best: his state Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed, And post o'er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait.
— John MiltonWhen I Consider How My Light is Spent (Also known asOn His Blindness) (1652)
Use itLife: patience during long preparation; waiting faithfully is also service.
At last he rose, and twitched his mantle blue: Tomorrow to fresh woods and pastures new.
— John MiltonLine 192
Use itLife: after an ending or failure, move on to new opportunities tomorrow.
How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth, Stol'n on his wing my three-and-twentieth year!
— John MiltonOn His Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-three (1631)
Use itLife: time quietly steals youth; use it with purpose.
The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n.
Use itEssay on attitude: outlook shapes happiness more than circumstances.
He that has light within his own clear breast, May sit i' the centre, and enjoy bright day; But he that hides a dark soul, and foul thoughts, Benighted walks under the mid-day sun; Himself is his own dungeon.
— John MiltonLines 381-385
Use itGS4: inner integrity brings peace; a guilty conscience is its own prison.