| John Bartlett (18201905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919. |
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| NUMBER: | 591 |
| AUTHOR: | William Shakespeare (15641616) |
| QUOTATION: | Swift as a shadow, short as any dream; Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That in a spleen unfolds both heaven and earth, And ere a man hath power to say, Behold! The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick bright things come to confusion. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | A Midsummer Nights Dream. Act i. Sc. 1. [text] |
| BIOGRAPHY: | Columbia Encyclopedia. |
| WORKS: | William Shakespeare Collection. |
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