Obnoxiously difficult quotes

[LLapp]

OOPS. Well obviously I don't know a word of Spanish OR Latin. It "looked" so much like Latin to me, who knows neither language, that I didn't even bother to check. Thanks Roxanne.

[Roxanne]

This is in Spanish, not a dead language.

[LLapp]

It's probably already on here, but I'm freaking mad!

"Dios tarda pero no olvida - God delays but doesn't forget. "
— Proverb

Wow! That's definitely out of bounds! One word in a foreign language is bad enough, but five words in a dead language . . . . I can't believe you solved it!

And the vague attribution doesn't give any clue either.

Maybe account options could include "Show quotes that include dead languages? Yes/No".

[wvwoman]

would admin consider removing that one?

[montyb]

It's probably already on here, but I'm freaking mad!

"Dios tarda pero no olvida - God delays but doesn't forget. "
— Proverb

[Phoenicopterus82]

"Call on god, but row away from the rocks." -Proverb

After taking many minutes to solve this one for the second time I decided I'd better commit it to memory.

[Collier]

This is where I thank Pootie for reminding me that the thread is called "obnoxiously difficult quotes" and that I should leave the postings here to the truly gifted solvers.

[wvwoman]

yes--thanks, roxanne, for the explanation--but i have a feeling i'll still never like this quote!

[LLapp]

Roxanne, your explanation is excellent! Thank you!

[Roxanne]

Satan is talking to Jesus in Paradise Regained (4.392-393). I think that prefixed is pre-fixed, as in decided, or set, beforehand; 'starry rubric' is the constellations as an astrological guide. "Set" is a past participle, not a noun. I.e. "I don't recognize a preordained date (no date prefixed) displayed in the life-guiding (directs me) constellations (in the starry rubric set)." I think ...
He's talking about how he doesn't know when the kingdom that Jesus will rule will appear.

[wvwoman]

good grief!

"No date prefixed directs me in the starry rubric set." — John Milton

what does this mean?!!

[wvwoman]

omg!

I get really frustrated with Alexander Pope's archaic, backward grammatical style. It's like Yoda smoked a fattie and decided to write some poetry. If quotations are worthy of the annals of time I think they should at least be grammatically sound. Forgive me if I have offended any Pope fans but this guy just isn't my cup of tea at all.

your reference to yoda smoking a fattie is such a hoot--thanks for the huge laugh!!

[mikehallbackhoe]

milk the cow, but do not pull off the udder

proverb

[LLapp]

"Our live experiences, fixed in aphorisms, stiffen into cold epigrams. Our heart's blood, as we write it, turns to mere dull ink." — F. H. Bradley

After more than 8 years with this puzzle in play, super-solver nanrich finally brought the record down to a whopping 31 seconds. Per solvers' comments, that word "live" instead of "life" is the final obstacle.

[momn8r]

obnoxiously difficult quotes

"Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein."
— Proverb