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The world produces for every pint of honey a gallon of gall; for every dram of pleasure a pound of pain; for every inch of mirth an ell of moan; and as the ivy twines around the oak, so does misery and misfortune encompass the happy man. Felicity, pure and unalloyed felicity, is not a plant of earthly growth; her gardens are the skies.

The world produces for every pint of honey a gallon of gall; for every dram of pleasure a pound of pain; for every inch of mirth an ell of moan; and as the ivy twines around the oak, so does misery and misfortune encompass the happy man. Felicity, pure and unalloyed felicity, is not a plant of earthly growth; her gardens are the skies.
Burton (identity unresolved)

In print by 1881 AD · industrial

Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.

Meaning not yet available

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Attribution & collection notes
Author or tradition
Burton (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown
Country attributed
Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.
Historical period
In print by 1881 AD · industrial
In print by 1881: recorded in Pearls of Thought (1881). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken.
Recorded source
Pearls of Thought (1881) (1881 AD)

Page 88 · printed citation: Burton · subject: Felicity

A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.