John Lyly, Euphues, Letters to a Young Gentleman in Naples named Alcius.
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Thou art an heyre to fayre lyving, that is nothing, if thou be disherited of learning, for better were it to thee to inherite righteousnesse then riches, and far more seemly were it for thee to haue thy Studie full of bookes, then thy pursse full of mony.

— John Lyly on Learning

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Thou art an heyre to fayre lyving, that is nothing, if thou be disherited of learning, for better were it to thee to inherite righteousnesse then riches, and far more seemly were it for thee to haue thy Studie full of bookes, then thy pursse full of mony." in the context of "John Lyly, Euphues, Letters to a Young Gentleman in Naples named Alcius." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Learning" (Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations: Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 434-37.) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
John Lyly

About John Lyly

John Lyly (Lilly or Lylie) (c. 1553 – 1606) was an English writer, best known for his Euphues (1579).