Who said: "It is always darkest just before the day dawneth"

BookBrowse's Favorite Quotes

"It is always darkest just before the day dawneth."
Thomas Fuller, Pisgah Sight (1650), Book II, ch. 2


English Clergyman Thomas Fuller is considered one of the most witty and prolific authors of the 17th century. He was born in 1608, studied at Cambridge and was appointed to the Chapel Royal, Savoy in 1641 (a private chapel of the sovereign associated with the House of Lancaster, which remains a well-known London landmark to this day). He remained there for two years until Oliver Cromwell came to power, and Fuller (a monarchist) left for Oxford.

He returned to London in 1646 and wrote Andronicus, or the Unfortunate Politician, a satire against Cromwell. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 he was appointed chaplain-extraordinary to Charles II. During his life he published a number of works noted for their wittiness, anecdotes, epigrams, and puns, such as The Holy State, The Profane State and History of the Worthies of Britain - which was published by his son after his death in 1661.

Confusingly, there are two notable, quotable Thomas Fullers:
The Thomas Fuller quoted above (1608-1661) - an English preacher, historian, and scholar; and Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) - a physician, writer and collector of adages.

More Quotes

This quote & biography originally ran in an issue of BookBrowse's membership magazine. Full Membership Features & Benefits.

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall
A love triangle reveals deadly secrets in this thriller for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
    by Liza Tully

    A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery.

  • Book Jacket

    Angelica
    by Molly Beer

    A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's influential sister-in-law.

  • Book Jacket

    The Original
    by Nell Stevens

    In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

Win This Book
Win These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

"[An] atmospheric tale of unexpected hope." —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author

Enter

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

W the C A the M W P

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.