Francis Bacon

Riches are a good hand maiden, but a poor mistress.

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

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

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

Nay, number itself in armies importeth not much, where the people is of weak courage; for, as Virgil saith, It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep be.

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

I thus free myself from the illness of ego-clinging.

It requires nothing less than a chivalric feeling to sustain a conversation with a lady.

Our virtues are dearer to us the more we have had to suffer for them. It is the same with our children. All profound affection entertains a sacrifice. Our thoughts are often worse than we are, just as they are often better.

Let us work without theorizing, tis the only way to make life endurable.

Obviously, as you grow up, no one’s ever 100 percent proud of every decision that they’ve made, and that’s OK. I think as long as you learn from your mistakes and don’t make them over and over again, you’re on the right path.

Solvency is maintained by means of a national debt, on the principle, If you will not lend me the money, how can I pay you?

Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the airplane, the pessimist the parachute.

To delay justice, is injustice.

Great feelings will often take the aspect of error, and great faith the aspect of illusion.

Of the blessings set before you make your choice, and be content.

If we live truly, we shall see truly.

Nothing’s beautiful from every point of view.

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

Whatever the human law may be, neither an individual nor a nation can commit the least act of injustice against the obscurest individual without having to pay the penalty for it.

Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.