Thursday, May 21, 2009

Quotes by Francis Bacon (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626)

Francis Bacon Quotes


- A bachelor's life is a fine breakfast, a flat lunch, and a miserable dinner.

- A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion.

- A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it.

- A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.

- A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.

- A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open.

- A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.

- Acorns were good until bread was found.

- Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.

- Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor.

- Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time.

- As the births of living creatures are at first ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of time.

- Beauty itself is but the sensible image of the Infinite.

- But men must know, that in this theatre of man's life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on.

- By indignities men come to dignities.

- Certainly the best works, and of greatest merit for the public, have proceeded from the unmarried, or childless men.

- Children sweeten labours, but they make misfortunes more bitter.

- Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable.

- Discretion of speech is more than eloquence, and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words, or in good order.

- Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid.

- Fashion is only the attempt to realize art in living forms and social intercourse.

- For also knowledge itself is power.

- For my name and memory I leave to men's charitable speeches, and to foreign nations and the next ages.

- Fortitude is the marshal of thought, the armor of the will, and the fort of reason.

- Fortune is like the market, where, many times, if you can stay a little, the price will fall.

- Friends are thieves of time.

- Friendship increases in visiting friends, but in visiting them seldom.

- God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures.

- God hangs the greatest weights upon the smallest wires.

- God has placed no limits to the exercise of the intellect he has given us, on this side of the grave.

- God's first creature, which was light.

- Good fame is like fire; when you have kindled you may easily preserve it; but if you extinguish it, you will not easily kindle it again.

- He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.

- He that hath knowledge spareth his words.

- He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief.

- He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator.

- Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.

- Houses are built to live in, and not to look on: therefore let use be preferred before uniformity.

- I do not believe that any man fears to be dead, but only the stroke of death.

- I had rather believe all the Fables in the Legend, and the Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a Mind.

- I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.

- If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world.

- If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.

- If a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.

- If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us.

- Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.

- In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.

- In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior.

- It is a strange desire, to seek power, and to lose liberty; or to seek power over others, and to lose power over a man's self.

- It is as hard and severe a thing to be a true politician as to be truly moral.

- It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other.

- It is impossible to love and to be wise.

- It is in life as it is in ways, the shortest way is commonly the foulest, and surely the fairer way is not much about.

- It is natural to die as to be born.

- Judges must beware of hard constructions and strained inferences, for there is no worse torture than that of laws.

- Judges ought to be more leaned than witty, more reverent than plausible, and more advised than confident. Above all things, integrity is their portion and proper virtue.

- Knowledge and human power are synonymous.

- Knowledge is power.

- Lies are sufficient to breed opinion, and opinion brings on substance.

- Life, an age to the miserable, and a moment to the happy.

- Many a man's strength is in opposition, and when he faileth, he grows out of use.

- Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased by tales, so is the other.

- Money is like manure, of very little use except it be spread.

- Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.

- Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.

- Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.

- Next to religion, let your care be to promote justice.

- Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.

- Nothing is pleasant that is not spiced with variety.

- Of all virtues and dignities of the mind, goodness is the greatest, being the character of the Deity; and without it, man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing.

- Opportunity makes a thief.


Read More Francis Bacon Quotes....

No comments:

Post a Comment