Who said “Forbear to mention what thou canst not praise.”?

Verified

Matthew Prior. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceCarmen Seculare (1700).

Find Carmen Seculare on Amazon · paid link

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Carmen Seculare (1700)..

APA

Prior, M. (n.d.). Forbear to mention what thou canst not praise. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39074-forbear-to-mention-what-thou-canst-not-praise/

MLA

Prior, Matthew. “Forbear to mention what thou canst not praise.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39074-forbear-to-mention-what-thou-canst-not-praise/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Prior, Matthew. “Forbear to mention what thou canst not praise.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39074-forbear-to-mention-what-thou-canst-not-praise/.

Related quotes

More quotes by Matthew Prior

“To John I owed great obligation; but John, unhappily, thought fit to publish it to all the nation: Sure John and I are more than quit.”
VerifiedEpigram (1718). · evidenceDetails & citeDebt
Report
“Hopes are but the dreams of those that wake.”
Hope
Report
“Be to their virtue very kind; be to their faults a little blind.”
Marriage
Report
All 12 Matthew Prior quotes →