Who said “Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair.”?

Verified

William Cowper. A published source records them saying or writing it.

Source"Hope, like the short-lived ray", l. 35 (wr. c. 1757; pub. 1825)

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“Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair.”
— William Cowper
Verified"Hope, like the short-lived ray", l. 35 (wr. c. 1757; pub. 1825) · evidenceAbsence
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: "Hope, like the short-lived ray", l. 35 (wr. c. 1757; pub. 1825).

APA

Cowper, W. (n.d.). Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/159-absence-from-whom-we-love-is-worse-than/

MLA

Cowper, William. “Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/159-absence-from-whom-we-love-is-worse-than/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Cowper, William. “Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/159-absence-from-whom-we-love-is-worse-than/.

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“Let me tell you I am better acquainted with you for a long absence, as men are with themselves for a long affliction: absence does but hold off a friend, to make one see him the truer.”
— Alexander Pope
VerifiedLetter, written in collaboration with Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, to Jonathan Swift (14 December 1725) · evidenceDetails & citeAbsence
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