William Congreve Quote

He who closes his ears to the views of others shows little confidence in the integrity of his own views.

William Congreve

He who closes his ears to the views of others shows little confidence in the integrity of his own views.

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About William Congreve

William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright, satirist, poet, and Whig politician. He spent most of his career between London and Dublin, and was noted for his highly polished style of writing, being regarded by critics as one of the most important dramatists of the early Georgian era. His literary works remained popular throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, and he is credited with developing the comedy of manners satirical genre. Congreve is remembered for his restoration play The Way of the World (1700), which is considered by commentators to be a centerpiece of Restoration comedy literature, and his tragedy play The Mourning Bride (1697), which contains the quote "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".
Congreve wrote the majority of his works in London, and his plays and poems, which formed a major part of Restoration literature, were favorably viewed by the audience for their use of satire and comedy. He first achieved significant fame in 1693, when he wrote some of the most popular English plays that shaped satirical comedy. Congreve wrote several notable works, including The Old Bachelor (1693), The Double Dealer (1693), and Love for Love (1695), all of which established him as one of the foremost writers in the comedy of manners genre. However, his career only lasted seven years. He wrote a total of five plays, from 1693 to 1700, and he may have been prematurely forced off the stage due to growing concerns about the public perception of morality regarding his theatrical comedies.
Although he lived until 1729, he did not produce another play after 1700, and when he died in London, he was honored with burial at the Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. Congreve remains a popular and polarising figure in English literature, and his works continue to be studied and quoted by critics. He is often quoted for the witty dialogues in his writings, which include "O fie, miss, you must not kiss and tell" and "Music has charms to soothe a savage breast".