Thrones are at this time shaken and it is
to little purpose for devoted hearts to serve the interests of princes.
Twenty Years After
It was
to little purpose that Fouquet had squandered thirty millions of francs in the fountains of his gardens, in the crucibles of his sculptors, in the writing-desks of his literary friends, in the portfolios of his painters; vainly had he fancied that thereby he might be remembered.
The Man in the Iron Mask
It is
to little purpose to say, that a neglect or omission of this kind would not be likely to take place.
Federalist Papers Authored by Alexander Hamilton
The reasonings contained in these papers must have been employed
to little purpose indeed, if it could be necessary now to disprove the reality of this danger.
Federalist Papers Authored by James Madison
I did not know what to think of all this, and like every one who does not know what to think I thought a great deal, and
to little purpose. The only reflection that seemed at all satisfactory, was, that on the morrow I should be some miles away, with a strong probability of never returning.
Can Such Things Be
The seamen threw me the end of the cord, which I fastened to a hole in the fore-part of the boat, and the other end to a man of war; but I found all my labour
to little purpose; for, being out of my depth, I was not able to work.
Gullivers Travels
"I fancy that to do so wouldn't help us much; it would be a consumption of gas, and, consequently, of water,
to little purpose; but, in our situation, we must not leave anything untried; therefore, let us ascend!"
Five Weeks in a Balloon
Joe whistled a long, perplexed whistle, and racked his brains
to little purpose.
Martin Eden
He tried to climb from his horse on to the top of the wall, but he was so bruised and battered that he could not even dismount; and so from the back of his horse he began to utter such maledictions and objurgations against those who were blanketing Sancho as it would be impossible to write down accurately: they, however, did not stay their laughter or their work for this, nor did the flying Sancho cease his lamentations, mingled now with threats, now with entreaties but all
to little purpose, or none at all, until from pure weariness they left off.
Don Quixote
I have read my New Testament
to little purpose, indeed, if Christian mercy may not soften the hard sentence against her -- if Christian charity may not find a plea for her memory in the love and fidelity, the suffering and the sacrifice, of her whole life.
No Name
Arguably there is a debate to be had about who gets sent to clink for it seems to me that we are often too swift to incarcerate at great expense and
to little purpose those who pose no threat and who could be punished in other more socially productive ways.
Do-gooders too swift to free the nutters
Alice takes center stage, but
to little purpose. Locked in an uncommunicative sadness, as though she knew or guessed what happened to him, she certainly has one up on the audience.
Orlando Vargas
By that I mean a world where, with very few exceptions..., there's little or no talk of racial matters at all." (This might be surprising to some readers, since it seems we're surrounded with talk of one sort or another about race, but it's talk
to little purpose if few of us are willing or able to listen.)
Shorter Views: Queer Thoughts & the Politics of the Paraliterary
Shot in styles ranging from conventional to experimental, pic is told in a confusing manner, with a large cast, and shows a perverse delight (
to little purpose) in bodily functions and generally anti-social behavior.
THIS FILTHY EARTH