John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
1273 William Shakespeare 1564-1616 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 1273 |
| AUTHOR: | William Shakespeare (1564–1616) |
| QUOTATION: | I ’ll example you with thievery: The sun ’s a thief, and with his great attraction Robs the vast sea; the moon ’s an arrant thief, And her pale fire she snatches from the sun; The sea ’s a thief, whose liquid surge resolves The moon into salt tears; the earth ’s a thief, That feeds and breeds by a composture stolen From general excrement: each thing ’s a thief. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Timon of Athens. Act iv. Sc. 3. [text] |
| WORKS: | William Shakespeare Collection. |