Francis Bacon

The desire of excessive power caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge caused men to fall.

Pictures and shapes are but secondary objects and please or displease only in the memory.

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

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.

Philosophers make imaginary laws for imaginary commonwealths, and their discourses are as the stars, which give little light because they are so high.

People of great position are servants times three, servants of their country, servants of fame, and servants of business.

The power of man has grown in every sphere, except over himself.

A character is like an acrostic or Alexandrian stanza; read it forward, backward, or across, it still spells the same thing.

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

Remember, when life’s path is steep, to keep your mind even.

No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.

We are eager to tunnel under the Atlantic and bring the Old World some weeks nearer to the New; but perchance the first news that will leak through into the broad, flapping American ear will be that the Princess Adelaide has the whooping cough.

A wise neuter joins with neither, but uses both as his honest interest leads him.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

It’s much better to do good in a way that no one knows anything about it.

Poverty consist in feeling poor.

A wise man makes what he learns his own, the other shows he is but a copy or a collection at most.

I’m taking more time to listen to myself. It’s allowed me to be an aggressive bad ass, calling it as I see it

The world is populated in the main by people who should not exist.

The fickleness of the women I love is only equalled by the infernal constancy of the women who love me.

Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.