The Bible
New Testament: St Luke ch.15 v.7
Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Bronté Emily 1818-1848
‘Remembrance'
But when the days of golden dreams had perished,
And even Despair was powerless to destroy,
Then did I learn how existence could be cherished,
Strengthened, and fed without the aid of joy.
Byron Lord 1788-1824
‘Stanzas for Music'
There's not a joy the world can give like that it takes away.
Dryden John 1631-1700
The Secular Masque
Joy ruled the day, and Love the night.
Firbank Ronald 1886-1926
Valmouth
‘I know of no joy,' she airily began, ‘greater than a cool white dress after the sweetness of confession.'
Ley Robert 1890-1945
(German Labour Front slogan from 1933)
Kraft durch Freude.
Strength through joy.
Malory Sir Thomas d.1471
Le Morte D'Arthur
God defend me, said Dinadan, for the joy of love is too short, and the sorrow thereof, and what cometh thereof, dureth over long.
Milton John 1608-1674
‘The Passion'
But headlong joy is ever on the wing.
Scott Sir Walter 1771-1832
The Lady of the Lake
And the stern joy which warriors feel
In foemen worthy of their steel.
Sedley Sir Charles c.1639-1701
‘Song'
Phyllis is my only joy,
Faithless as the winds or seas;
Sometimes coming, sometimes coy,
Yet she never fails to please.
Shakespeare William 1564-1616
Much Ado About Nothing
How much better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping.
Shelley Percy Bysshe 1792-1822
‘To a Skylark'
Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun.
Teresa Mother 1910-1997
One filled with joy preaches without preaching.
Tolstoy Leo 1828-1910
War and Peace
Pure and complete sorrow is as impossible as pure and complete joy.
Wordsworth William 1770-1850
‘To Sleep'
Surprised by joy - impatient as the wind
I turned to share the transport.