Pleasure

It should never be forgotten, that the most delicate and enduring pleasures we enjoy are those we give.
~ William Rounseville (W.R.) Alger, The Friendships of Women (1868). Introduction

The man who has drained the cup of pleasure can best tell the taste of its dregs.
~ William Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth: Illustrations of the Book of Proverbs (1857). I. The Preacher

The surest way of turning a person from one pleasure is to give him a greater pleasure on the opposite side.
~ William Arnot, Laws from Heaven for Life on Earth: Illustrations of the Book of Proverbs (1857). VI. The Foe and the Fight

For every Pleasure Money is useless.
~ William Blake, The Laocoön (c. 1818).

So, often in the course
Of life's few fleeting years,
A single pleasure costs
The soul a thousand tears.
~ Francis William Bourdillon, Upon the Valley's Lap

Perhaps all pleasure is relief.
~ William S. Burroughs, Junky (1977 edition). Prologue

To live well, to enjoy all things that make life pleasant, is the right of every man who constantly uses his strength judiciously and lawfully.
~ William Cobbett, Cottage Economy (1821). Introduction

To pass our youth in dull indifference, to refuse the sweets of life, because they once must leave us, is as preposterous, as to wish to have been born old, because we one day must be old.
~ William Congreve, The Way of the World (1700). Act II, scene i

Discourse may want an animated "No"
To brush the surface, and to make it flow;
But still remember, if you mean to please,
To press your point with modesty and ease.
~ William Cowper, from Poems by William Cowper of the Inner Temple, Esq. (1782). Conversation

Earn, if you want; if you abound, impart,
These both are pleasures to the feeling heart.
~ William Cowper, from Poems by William Cowper of the Inner Temple, Esq. (1782). The Progress of Error

I never received a little pleasure from anything in my life; if I am delighted, it is in the extreme.
~ William Cowper, in The Life of William Cowper (1833). Chapter VII

Mortals, whose pleasures are their only care
First wish to be imposed on, and then are.
~ William Cowper, from Poems by William Cowper of the Inner Temple, Esq. (1782). The Progress of Error

Pleasure admitted in undue degree
Enslaves the will, nor leaves the judgment free.
~ William Cowper, from Poems by William Cowper of the Inner Temple, Esq. (1782). The Progress of Error

Remorse, the fatal egg by pleasure laid.
~ William Cowper, from Poems by William Cowper of the Inner Temple, Esq. (1782). The Progress of Error

'Tis pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat,
To peep at such a world.
~ William Cowper, The Task (1785). Book IV. The Winter Evening

Affection is become a parasite;
Strives to please whom it cannot benefit.
~ Sir William Davenant, The Cruel Brother (1630). Act II, Scene I

If we seek the pleasures of love, passion should be occasional, and common sense continual.
~ (William) Robertson Davies, in Saturday Night Magazine (23 December 1961). The Pleasures of Love

Some people have the art of compelling others to be pleasant.
~ William Feather, The Business of Life (1949).

Bill, old boy, this is the life!
~ W.C. Fields, in Liberty magazine (23 February 1935). The Most Melancholy Funny Man on the Screen

My job is about the most fun thing I do, but I have a broad set of interests, going places, reading things, doing things.
~ Bill Gates

I seek, yet, seeking, cannot find.
~ William Batchelder Greene, from Imogen, And Other Poems (1871). Passing Pleasures

Emotional response is distrusted in science and technological invention. This is because the way one feels about the solution to a problem is confused with emotional response to a problem during the process of searching for a solution. Artists and writers are EXPECTED to like or dislike their materials and subject matter. The products of art and literature are judged on a "like" or "dislike" basis whereas the criterion of technological products is "are they useful?", "do they work?" ... Synectics ... emphasizes that the PROCESS of producing either aesthetic or technical objects is accompanied by certain useful emotional responses, and that these responses must not be rejected as irrelevant, but must be schooled and liberated. Hedonic Response is one of the important responses.
~ William J.J. Gordon, Synectics: the Development of Creative Capacity (1961).

The earth is sown with pleasures, as the Heavens are studded with stars.
~ William Rathbone (W.R.) Greg, Enigmas of Life (1872). V. The Significance of Life

[P]leasure is defined to be the reflex of energy, and of perfect energy, and not to be either energy or the perfection of energy itself.
~ Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet, in Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic (1858-60). Volume I. Metaphysics. Lecture XLII. The Feelings -- Theory of Pleasure and Pain

[P]leasure is the reflex of unforced and unimpeded energy.
~ Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet, in Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic (1858-60). Volume I. Metaphysics. Lecture XIV. Consciousness -- Attention in General

A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.
~ William Hazlitt

It is wonderful how often we see and hear of Shakespear's plays without being annoyed with it. Were it any other writer, we should be sick to death of the very name. But his volumes are like that of nature, we can turn to them again and again ...
~ William Hazlitt, Characteristics: in the Manner of Rochefoucault's Maxims (1823).

The art of pleasing consists in being pleased.
~ William Hazlitt, from The Round Table, Vol. I (1817). On Manner

There are only three pleasures in life pure and lasting, and all derived from inanimate things -- books, pictures, and the face of nature.
~ William Hazlitt, in The London Magazine (February 1823). The Marquis of Stafford's Gallery

There must be a spice of mischief and wilfulness thrown into the cup of our existence to give it its sharp taste and sparkling colour.
~ William Hazlitt, from The Plain Speaker, Volume II (1826). Essay XIII. On Depth and Superficiality

To please universally, we must be pleased with ourselves and others.
~ William Hazlitt, in Sketches and Essays (1839). On Disagreeable People (written in 1827)

We grow tired of everything but turning others into ridicule, and congratulating ourselves on their defects.
~ William Hazlitt, from The Plain Speaker, Volume I (1826). Essay XIII. On the Pleasure of Hating

Perhaps the most lasting pleasure in life is the pleasure of not going to church.
~ William Ralph (Dean) Inge

Pleasure is a jewel which will only retain its lustre when it is in a setting of work.
~ William Edward Hartpole (E.H.) Lecky, The Map of Life: Conduct and Character (1899). Chapter III

All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.
~ William John Locke, Idols (1899).

The fullest instruction, and the fullest enjoyment are never derived from books, till we have ventilated the ideas thus obtained, in free and easy chat with others.
~ William Mathews, from The Great Conversers, And Other Essays (1874). II. Literary Clubs

Do you know that conversation is one of the greatest pleasures in life? But it wants leisure.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, The Trembling of a Leaf (1921). III. The Fall of Edward Barnard

Men seek but one thing in life -- their pleasure.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage (1915).

Sensual pleasures are the most violent and the most exquisite.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage (1915).

There is no more lamentable pursuit than a life of pleasure.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, The Circle, Act II (1921).

[A]ll pleasure is got -- from the rubbing off of somebody else's pleasure in something. From eye to eye, skin to skin. A cousin of love making.
~ William Keepers Maxwell, Jr., in The Element of Lavishness (2001). Letter to Sylvia Townsend Warner (January 1961).

Rejoice, lest pleasureless ye die.
Within a little time must ye go by.
Stretch forth your open hands, and while ye live
Take all the gifts that Death and Life may give!
~ William Morris, from The Earthly Paradise (1868-70). March: Introduction

If I were asked to say what is at once the most important production of Art and the thing most to be longed for; I should answer; A beautiful House; and if I were further asked to name the production next in importance and the thing next to be longed for; I should answer; A beautiful Book. To enjoy good houses and good books in self-respect and decent comfort, seems to me to be the pleasurable end towards which all societies of human beings ought now to struggle.
~ William Morris, (1892).

You flow for me almost too violently, fountain of pleasure. And often you empty the cup again by wanting to fill it.
~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Frugality itself is a pleasure.
~ William Paley, Reasons For Contentment, Addressed To The Labouring Part Of The British Public (sermon given in 1790; published in 1793).

The Satisfaction of our Senses is low, short, and transient: But the Mind gives a more raised and extended Pleasure, and is capable of an Happiness founded upon Reason; not bounded and limited by the Circumstances that Bodies are confin'd to.
~ William Penn, Some Fruits of Solitude (1693). Part I. Avarice

The best entertainments are not those which merely make a display of wealth and luxury. Quiet, good taste, and social attractions are far better.
~ William Pittenger, Toasts (1895). Some A B C Directions For Making Speeches, Toasts, And Responses

A good story is like a bitter pill with the sugar coating inside of it.
~ William Sydney Porter (O. Henry), from Cabbages And Kings (1904). The Phonograph and the Graft

To all that soothes the painful hour of strife;
To all that graces, all that sweetens life.
~ William Roscoe, in The Poetical Works of William Roscoe (1853). Mount Pleasant (published in 1777)

Pleasure is still the biggest industry.
~ William Sansom, from Blue Skies, Brown Studies (1961).

We are not forced into unpleasant activities. We either allow them to come about or we encourage them to come about.
~ William Saroyan, The Time of Your Life (1939 play). Preface

All strange and terrible events are welcome,
But comforts we despise.
~ William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra. Act IV, scene xiii

And if it please you, so; if not, why, so.
~ William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Act II, scene i

But as a thing of custom: 'tis no other;
Only it spoils the pleasure of the time.
~ William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Act III, scene iv

For where thou art, there is the world itself,
With every several pleasure in the world,
And where thou art not, desolation.
~ William Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part II. Act III, scene ii

I am not bound to please thee with my answers.
~ William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice. Act IV, scene i

[M]ake the coming hour o'erflow with joy,
And pleasure drown the brim.
~ William Shakespeare, All's Well that Ends Well. Act II, scene iv

No profit grows where no pleasure is ta'en;
In brief, sir, study what you most affect.
~ William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew. Act I, scene i

There's not a minute of our lives should stretch
Without some pleasure now. What sport tonight?
~ William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra. Act I, scene i

What you do
Still betters what is done.
~ William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale. Act IV, scene iii

What pleasure it is to pay one's debts!
~ William Shenstone, in Works in Verse and Prose, Vol. II (1764). Essays on Men, Manners, and Things. Egotisms, from my own Sensations

Tears are the natural penalties of pleasure. It is a law, that we should pay for all that we enjoy.
~ William Gilmore Simms, Egeria: Or, Voices of Thought and Counsel for the Woods and Wayside (1853).

And the most exquisite delights of sense are pursued, in the contrivance and plantation of gardens; which, with fruits, flowers, shades, fountains, and the music of birds that frequent such happy places, seem to furnish all the pleasures of the several senses, and with the greatest, or at least the most natural perfections.
~ Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet, from Miscellanea, Part II (1690). Upon The Gardens of Epicurus: or, Of Gardening, in the Year 1685

The true pleasure of life is to live with your inferiors.
~ William Makepeace Thackeray, The Newcomes (1853-55). Chapter I

[T]ry to frequent the company of your betters. In books and life that is the most wholesome society; learn to admire rightly; the great pleasure of life is that.
~ William Makepeace Thackeray, from The English Humourists of the Eighteenth Century: A Series of Lectures (1853). Lecture the Fourth

What peace, what love, what truth, what beauty, what happiness for all, what generous kindness for you and me, are here spread out!
~ William Makepeace Thackeray, Roundabout Papers (1863). Nil Nisi Bonum

Most pursue the pleasures, as they call them, of their natures, which begin in sin, are carried on with danger, and end in bitterness.
~ William Wake (Archbishop of Canterbury)

Pleasure always is our aim; the natural aim of every living being, the end or law of nature.
~ William Wallace, M.A., Epicureanism (1880). Chapter VII. The Chief Good

Let things that are feigned for pleasure's sake have a near resemblance of the truth.
~ William Webbe, A Discourse Of English Poetrie (1586).

Garner up pleasant thoughts in your mind, for pleasant thoughts make pleasant lives.
~ John Wilkins

It felt wonderful doing it. But that's rather like urinating in brown velvet pants. It can feel wonderful, but no one will watch.
~ Robin Williams

For her heart was cold to all but gold,
And the rich came not to woo --
But honored well are charms to sell
If priests the selling do.
~ Nathaniel Parker (N.P.) Willis, The Poems, Sacred, Passionate, And Humorous (1844 edition). Unseen Spirits. Stanza 3

I want to tell you a secret. The way to make yourself pleasing to others, is to show that you care for them.
~ William Wirt, in Memoirs of the Life of William Wirt, Volume II (1849). Chapter VI. Letter to Laura H. Wirt; 23 May 1820.

All men feel ... something of an honorable bigotry for the objects which have long continued to please them.
~ William Wordsworth, from Lyrical Ballads (1798). Preface

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
~ William Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (1804).

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to mind.
~ William Wordsworth, from Lyrical Ballads (1798). Lines Written in Early Spring

My whole life I have lived in pleasant thought,
As if life's business were a summer mood;
As if all needful things would come unsought
To genial faith, still rich in genial good.
~ William Wordsworth, from Poems in Two Volumes, Volume I (1807). Poems Composed During A Tour, Chiefly on Foot. 5. Resolution and Independence

Often have I sighed to measure
By myself a lonely pleasure,
Sighed to think, I read a book
Only read, perhaps, by me.
~ William Wordsworth, To the Small Celandine, Part II

They dance not for me,
Yet mine is their glee!
Thus pleasure is spread through the earth
In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find;
Thus a rich loving-kindness, redundantly kind,
Moves all nature to gladness and mirth.
~ William Wordsworth, Stray Pleasures (1806).

Sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart.
~ William Wordsworth, from Lyrical Ballads (1798). Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey

Good fellowship and friendship are lasting, rational and manly pleasures.
~ William Wycherley, The Country Wife (1673). Act I, scene i

[N]ext to the pleasure of making a new mistress is that of being rid of an old one.
~ William Wycherley, The Country Wife (1673). Act I, scene i