John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
2925 John Dryden 1631-1700 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 2925 |
| AUTHOR: | John Dryden (1631–1700) |
| QUOTATION: | Great wits are sure to madness near allied, And thin partitions do their bounds divide. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Absalom and Achitophel. Part i. Line 163. |
| Note 1. No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.—Aristotle: Problem, sect. 30. Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiæ (There is no great genius without a tincture of madness).—Seneca: De Tranquillitate Animi, 15. What thin partitions sense from thought divide!—Alexander Pope: Essay on Man, epistle i. line 226. [back] |