The attempt and not the deed Confounds us. - William Shakespeare
The sweetest honey Is loathsome in his own deliciousness And in the taste confounds the appetite. - William Shakespeare
As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind divided between many studies confounds and saps itself. - Leonardo da Vinci
Is, then, the crown too heavy that I wear? … Yet it is bright with many a gem; I, the wearer, see not its far flashings; but darkly feel that I wear that, that dazzling confounds. ’Tis Iron – that I know – not gold. - Herman Melville