Not having Thee, what have my labors got?
Let me enjoy but Thee, what farther crave I?
And having Thee alone, what have I not?" - Meaning and context.">
Reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 609.
“

In having all things, and not Thee, what have I?
Not having Thee, what have my labors got?
Let me enjoy but Thee, what farther crave I?
And having Thee alone, what have I not?

— Francis Quarles

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "In having all things, and not Thee, what have I?
Not having Thee, what have my labors got?
Let me enjoy but Thee, what farther crave I?
And having Thee alone, what have I not?" in the context of "Reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 609." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Francis Quarles" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Francis Quarles

About Francis Quarles

Francis Quarles (baptised May 8, 1592, died September 8, 1644) was a prolific English prose-writer and poet. He is now best known for his Emblems (1638) and other moral and devotional verse.