Francis Bacon Quotes
"Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Nature)
"Judges must beware of hard constructions and strained inferences, for there is no worse torture than that of laws."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Judges, Laws)
"Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted... but to weigh and consider."
- Francis Bacon
"Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Adversity, Old, Prosperity)
"Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; adversity not without many comforts and hopes."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Adversity, Prosperity)
"Pictures and shapes are but secondary objects and please or displease only in the memory."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Memory)
"People usually think according to their inclinations, speak according to their learning and ingrained opinions, but generally act according to custom."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: People, Act, Custom, Learning, Opinions)
"People have discovered that they can fool the devil; but they can't fool the neighbors."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: People, Devil, Fool, Neighbors)
"Opportunity makes a thief."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Opportunity)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Character, Being, Goodness, Man, Mind)
"Nothing is pleasant that is not spiced with variety."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Nothing, Variety)
"Rebellions of the belly are the worst."
- Francis Bacon
"Next to religion, let your care be to promote justice."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Religion, Care, Justice)
"Revenge is a kind of wild justice, which the more a man's nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Nature, Justice, Law, Man, Revenge)
"Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Nature)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Experience, Plants, Study)
"Money is like manure, of very little use except it be spread."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Money)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Death, Men, Fear, Children)
"Many a man's strength is in opposition, and when he faileth, he grows out of use."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Strength, Man, Opposition)
"Life, an age to the miserable, and a moment to the happy."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Age, Life)
"Lies are sufficient to breed opinion, and opinion brings on substance."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Lies, Opinion)
"Knowledge is power."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Power, Knowledge)
"Knowledge and human power are synonymous."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Power, Knowledge)
"Fashion is only the attempt to realize art in living forms and social intercourse."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Art, Fashion, Living)
"Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men, Cunning, Hurt, Nothing, State)
"The correlative to loving our neighbors as ourselves is hating ourselves as we hate our neighbors."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Hate, Neighbors)
"Young people are fitter to invent than to judge; fitter for execution than for counsel; and more fit for new projects than for settled business."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Business, People, Execution, Projects)
"Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Thoughts)
"Wives are young men's mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men's nurses."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Age, Men, Middle age, Nurses, Old, Wives)
"Wise men make more opportunities than they find."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men)
"Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: God, Solitude)
"Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Questions)
"Who ever is out of patience is out of possession of their soul."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Soul, Patience, Possession)
"When a man laughs at his troubles he loses a great many friends. They never forgive the loss of their prerogative."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Friends, Loss, Man)
"What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Truth, Jesting)
"We cannot command Nature except by obeying her."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Nature)
"Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Man, Reading, Writing)
"The desire of excessive power caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge caused men to fall."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men, Power, Knowledge, Angels, Desire)
"It is natural to die as to be born."
- Francis Bacon
"The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Beauty)
"Studies serve for delight, for ornaments, and for ability."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Ability, Delight)
"Studies perfect nature and are perfected still by experience."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Experience, Nature)
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Books)
"Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: God, Atheism, Philosophy)
"Silence is the virtue of fools."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Virtue, Fools, Silence)
"Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Wisdom, Silence, Sleep)
"Seek ye first the good things of the mind, and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will not be felt."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: First, Loss, Mind, Rest, Will)
"Science is but an image of the truth."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Science, Truth)
"Riches are a good hand maiden, but a poor mistress."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Poor)
"The fortune which nobody sees makes a person happy and unenvied."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Fortune)
"As the births of living creatures are at first ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of time."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Time, First, Living)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Virtue, Integrity, Judges, Witty)
"Fortune is like the market, where, many times, if you can stay a little, the price will fall."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Fortune, Will)
"I do not believe that any man fears to be dead, but only the stroke of death."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Death, Man)
"For my name and memory I leave to men's charitable speeches, and to foreign nations and the next ages."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men, Memory, Name, Nations)
"Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Fame, Light)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Discretion, Eloquence, Order, Speech, Words)
"Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Life, Habit, Will)
"Children sweeten labours, but they make misfortunes more bitter."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Children)
"Certainly the best works, and of greatest merit for the public, have proceeded from the unmarried, or childless men."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men, Merit, Public)
"By indignities men come to dignities."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men)
"Friendship increases in visiting friends, but in visiting them seldom."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Friendship)
"Beauty itself is but the sensible image of the Infinite."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Beauty, Infinite)
"God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: God, First, Garden)
"Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: History, Time, Shipwreck)
"Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Anger, Men, Poor, Witty)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Age, Trust, Friends, Old, Wine, Wood)
"Acorns were good until bread was found."
- Francis Bacon
"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Man, Will)
"A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Man, Open, Question)
"A prudent question is one-half of wisdom."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Wisdom, Question)
"A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Man, Revenge, Wounds)
"A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Opportunity, Man)
"A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Religion, Men, Atheism, Man, Mind, Philosophy)
"But men must know, that in this theatre of man's life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Life, Men, God, Angels, Man, Theatre)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Mind)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Life)
"It is impossible to love and to be wise."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Love)
"It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other."
- Francis Bacon
"It is as hard and severe a thing to be a true politician as to be truly moral."
- Francis Bacon
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Power, Desire, Liberty, Man, Self)
"In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Enemy, Man, Revenge)
"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Darkness, Light, Order, Present)
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Humor, Imagination, Man, Sense)
"If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Justice, Will)
"If a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Man, Mathematics, Study, Wit)
"Friends are thieves of time."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Time, Friends)
"If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Man, Strangers, World)
"A bachelor's life is a fine breakfast, a flat lunch, and a miserable dinner."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Life)
"Houses are built to live in, and not to look on: therefore let use be preferred before uniformity."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Houses)
"Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Hope)
"He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Time, Remedies, Will)
"He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Wife, Virtue, Children, Fortune)
"He that hath knowledge spareth his words."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Knowledge, Words)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Advice, Example)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Fame, Fire, May, Will)
"God's first creature, which was light."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: God, First, Light)
"God has placed no limits to the exercise of the intellect he has given us, on this side of the grave."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: God, Exercise, Grave, Intellect, Limits)
"God hangs the greatest weights upon the smallest wires."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: God)
"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."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Content, End, Man, Will)
"I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Age, Man, Old, Will, Years)
"The remedy is worse than the disease."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Disease)
"There is a difference between happiness and wisdom: he that thinks himself the happiest man is really so; but he that thinks himself the wisest is generally the greatest fool."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Happiness, Difference, Fool, Man)
"The worst solitude is to have no real friendships."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Solitude)
"The worst men often give the best advice."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men, Advice)
"The way of fortune is like the milkyway in the sky; which is a number of small stars, not seen asunder, but giving light together: so it is a number of little and scarce discerned virtues, or rather faculties and customs, that make men fortunate."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men, Fortune, Giving, Light, Sky, Stars)
"The subtlety of nature is greater many times over than the subtlety of the senses and understanding."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Nature, Senses, Understanding)
"The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men, Superstition)
"There is a wisdom in this beyond the rules of physic: a man's own observation what he finds good of and what he finds hurt of is the best physic to preserve health."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Health, Wisdom, Hurt, Man, Observation, Rules)
"There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Beauty)
"There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Trying)
"Therefore if a man look sharply and attentively, he shall see Fortune; for though she be blind, yet she is not invisible."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Blind, Fortune, Man)
"They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Land, Nothing, Sea)
"They that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Remedies, Will)
"Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly."
- Francis Bacon
"This is certain, that a man that studieth revenge keeps his wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Man, Revenge, Wounds)
"Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Experience, Travel, Education)
"Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Truth, Confusion, Error)
"Truth is a good dog; but always beware of barking too close to the heels of an error, lest you get your brains kicked out."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Truth, Error)
"Truth is so hard to tell, it sometimes needs fiction to make it plausible."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Truth, Fiction, Needs)
"Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Time, Daughter, Truth, Authority)
"Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Virtue)
"We are much beholden to Machiavel and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Men)
"There is as much difference between the counsel that a friend giveth, and that a man giveth himself, as there is between the counsel of a friend and of a flatterer. For there is no such flatterer as is a man's self."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Friend, Difference, Man, Self)
"The pencil of the Holy Ghost hath labored more in describing the afflictions of Job than the felicities of Solomon."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Job)
"The momentous thing in human life is the art of winning the soul to good or evil."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Art, Life, Soul, Winning, Evil)
"The joys of parents are secret, and so are their grieves and fears."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Parents)
"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Artist, Job, Mystery)
"The great end of life is not knowledge but action."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Life, Knowledge, Action, End)
"The genius, wit, and the spirit of a nation are discovered by their proverbs."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Genius, Nation, Spirit, Wit)
"There is nothing makes a man suspect much, more than to know little."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Man, Nothing)
"The place of justice is a hallowed place."
- Francis Bacon
(Related: Justice)