William Penn

Passion is the mob of the man, that commits a riot upon his reason.

True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.

No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.

The wisdom of nations lies in their proverbs, which are brief and pithy. Collect and learn them; they are notable measures of directions for human life; you have much in little; they save time in speaking; and upon occasion may be the fullest and safest answer.

Some are so very studious of learning what was done by the ancients that they know not how to live with the moderns.

Only trust theyself, and another shall noet betray thee

Girls, like men, want to be petted, pitied, and made much of, when they are diffident, in low spirits, or in unrequited love. These are services which the weak cannot render to the strong and which the strong will not render to the weak, except when there is also a difference of sex.

Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.

Out of intense complexities intense simplicities emerge.

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

Important encounters are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other.

Find people who will make you better.

Wit and Humor – if any difference, it is in duration – lightning and electric light. Same material, apparently; but one is vivid, and can do damage – the other fools along and enjoys elaboration.

There mark what ills the scholar’s life assail, toil, envy, want, and patron.

You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.

It is hard to go beyond your public. If they are satisfied with cheap performance, you will not easily arrive at better. If they know what is good, and require it. you will aspire and burn until you achieve it. But from time to time, in history, men are born a whole age too soon.

The good news is that the moment you decide that what you know is more important than what you have been taught to believe, you will have shifted gears in your quest for abundance. Success comes from within, not from without.

How much of human life is lost in waiting.

The sovereign is called a tyrant who knows no laws but his caprice.

We are paid for our suspicions by finding what we suspected.

In statesmanship get the formalities right, never mind about the moralities.