Edward Lear quotes
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“It's a fact the whole world knows, That Pobbles are happier without their toes.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear, Edward Mendelson, Laura Huliska-Beith (2001). “Edward Lear”, p.31, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
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“And what can we expect if we haven't any dinner, But to lose our teeth and eyelashes and keep on growing thinner?”
-- Edward LearSource : 'The Two Old Bachelors' (1871)
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“There was an old man with a beard, who said: 'It is just as I feared! Two owls and a hen, four larks and a wren have all built their nests in my beard.”
-- Edward LearSource : A Book of Nonsense (1846)
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“They danced by the light of the moon.”
-- Edward LearSource : "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat" l. 21 (1871)
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“There was an Old Man of the East, Who gave all his children a feast; But they all ate so much, and their conduct was such, That it killed that Old Man of the East.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (1994). “Complete Nonsense”, p.59, Wordsworth Editions
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“A vile beastly rottenheaded foolbegotten brazenthroated pernicous piggish screaming, tearing, roaring, perplexing, splitmecrackle crashmecriggle insane ***** of a woman is practising howling below-stairs with a brute of a singingmaster so horribly, that my head is nearly off.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (1992). “A Book of Learned Nonsense”, Sutton Pub Limited
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“There was an Old Person of Bray, Who sang through the whole of the day To his ducks and his pigs, whom he fed upon figs, That valuable Person of Bray.”
-- Edward LearSource : Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear (2004). “Utter Nonsense: Selected Poems of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear”, p.29, Lonely Scribe
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“There was an Old Man of Messina, Whose daughter was named Opsibeena; She wore a small wig, and rode out on a pig, To the perfect delight of Messina.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (2012). “Nonsense Poems”, p.16, Courier Corporation
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“Who, or why, or which, or what, Is the Akhond of Swat?”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear, “The Akond Of Swat”
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“I am in a very unsettled condition, as the oyster said when they poured melted butter all over his back.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (2001). “The Complete Verse and Other Nonsense”, Lane, Allen
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“What will happen to me, as the oyster said when he very inadvertently swallowed the gooseberry bush, nobody can tell.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (2001). “The Complete Verse and Other Nonsense”, Lane, Allen
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“The owl and the pussycat went to sea, / In a beautiful pea green boat. / They took some honey, and plenty of money, / Wrapped up in a five pound note.”
-- Edward LearSource : "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat" l. 21 (1871)
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“And they brought an Owl, and a useful Cart, And a pound of Rice, and a CranberryTart, And a hive of silvery Bees. And they brought a Pig, and some green Jack-daws, And a lovely Monkey with lollipop paws, and forty Bottles of Ring-Bo-Ree, And no end of Stilton Cheese.”
-- Edward LearSource : 'The Jumblies' (1871)
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“And if you voz to see my roziz As is a boon to all men's noziz, - You'd fall upon your back and scream - '" Lawk! O criky! it's a dream!"”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (1911). “Later Letters of Edward Lear: to Chichester Fortescue (Lord Carlingford), Lady Waldegrave and Others”, Books for Libraries
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“In the middle of the woods Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Two old chairs and half a candle, One old jug without a handle- These were all the worldly goods.”
-- Edward LearSource : 'The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bó' (1871)
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“They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon.”
-- Edward LearSource : "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat" l. 21 (1871)
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“The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat: They took some honey, and plenty of money Wrapped up in a five-pound note. . . They dined on mince and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon, The moon, The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.”
-- Edward Lear -
“There was a Young Person in pink, Who called out for something to drink; But they said, 'O my daughter, there's nothing but water!' Which vexed that Young Person in pink.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (1994). “Complete Nonsense”, p.98, Wordsworth Editions
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“When awful darkness and silence reign Over the great Gromboolian plain, Through the long, long wintry nights;”
-- Edward LearSource : 'The Dong with a Luminous Nose' (1871)
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“There was an Old Man of Columbia, Who was thirsty, and called out for some beer; But they brought it quite hot, in a small copper pot, Which disgusted that Man of Columbia.”
-- Edward Lear -
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“There was an Old Person of Brussels, Who lived upon Brandy and Mussels; When he rushed through the town, he knocked most people down, Which distressed all the people of Brussels.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (2001). “The Complete Verse and Other Nonsense”, Lane, Allen
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“There was an old man of Orleans, Who was given to eating of beans; Till once out of sport, he swallowed a quart, That dyspeptic old man of Orleans.”
-- Edward LearSource : Edward Lear (1992). “A Book of Learned Nonsense”, Sutton Pub Limited
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“I am almost thanking God that I was never educated, for it seems to me that 999 of those who are so, expensively and laboriously, have lost all before they arrive at my age-& remain like Swift's Stulbruggs-cut and dry for life, making no use of their earlier-gained treasures:-whereas, I seem to be on the threshold of knowledge.”
-- Edward LearSource : L. Candace Pezzera, Edward Lear, Rhode Island School of Design. Museum of Art (1982). “How pleasant to know Mr. Lear: watercolors by Edward Lear from Rhode Island collections”
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“They went to sea in a sieve, they did; In a sieve they went to sea; In spite of all their friends could say.”
-- Edward LearSource : 1871 Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets,'The Jumblies'.
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“I was much distressed by next door people who had twin babies and played the violin; but one of the twins died, and the other has eaten the fiddle, so all is peace.”
-- Edward LearSource : "Letters of Edward Lear: To Chichester Fortescue, Lord Carlingford, and Frances Countess Waldegrave".
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