Brutes find out where their talents lie; A bear will not attempt to fl…

Jonathan Swift
182 citations
Brutes find out where their talents lie; A bear will not attempt to fly, A foundered horse will oft debate Before he tries a five barred gate. A dog by instinct turns aside Who sees the ditch too deep and wide, But man we find the only creature Who, led by folly, combats nature; Who, when she loudly cries-Forbear! With obstinacy fixes there; And where the genius least inclines, Absurdly bends his whole designs.
Life
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It often happens that, if a lie be believed only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no further occasion for it. ✨ Jonathan Swift, Thomas Roscoe (1859). The works of Jonathan Swift, D.D.: … ▶
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