William Penn

A good End cannot sanctifie evil Means; nor must we ever do Evil, that Good may come of it. Some Folks think they may Scold, Rail, Hate, Rob and Kill too; so it be but for God’s sake. But nothing in us unlike him, can please him.

Where charity keeps pace with grain, industry is blessed, but to slave to get, and keep it sordidly, is a sin against Providence, a vice in government and an injury to their neighbours.

I know no religion that destroys courtesy, civility, and kindness.

Nothing does Reason more Right, than the Coolness of those that offer it: for Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders than from the arguments of its opposers.

If men be good, government cannot be bad.

Let the people think they govern and they will be governed.

When the eye is not set on one leaf and you face the tree with nothing in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye.

Writers are the engineers of human souls.

I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read.

Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.

Will not a tiny speck very close to our vision blot out the glory of the world, and leave only a margin by which we see the blot? I know no speck so troublesome as self.

That after an hour’s silence he can say, The one thing I cannot stand is dampness… That’s all, it took him an hour to work that out.

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.

It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?

When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.

We are free to yield to truth.

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

Martyrdom covers a multitude of sins.

Seek ye first the good things of the mind, and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will not be felt.

In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed.

Belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.