Quotes from Francis Bacon

Who then to frail mortality shall trustBut limns on water, or but writes in dust.

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.

I doe hold it, in the Royall ordering of Gardens, there ought to be Gardens, for all the Moneths in the Yeare: In which, severally Things of Beautie, may in then in Season.

A good life is a series of joyful meetings and joyful moments.

A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth man's minds about to religion.

Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation, all which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, though religion were not but superstition dismounts all these, and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men...the master of superstition is the people and arguments are fitted to practice, in a reverse order.

Believe not much them that seem to despise riches, for they despise them that despair of them.

Books must follow sciences, and not sciences books.

Discretion in speech is more than eloquence.

For those who intend to discover and to understand, not to indulge in conjectures and soothsaying, and rather than contrive imitation and fabulous worlds plan to look deep into the nature of the real world and to dissect it -- for them everything must be sought in things themselves.

Fortitude is the marshal of thought, the armor of the will, and the fort of reason.

Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind.

Man seeketh in society comfort, use and protection.

Man, being the servant and interpreter of nature, can do and understand so much and so much only as he has observed in fact or in thought of the course of nature beyond this he neither knows anything nor can do anything.

Men in Great Place are thrice Servants Servants of the Sovereign or State Servants of Fame and Servants of Business It is strange desire to seek Power and to lose Liberty.

Nature is commanded by obeying her.

No man's fortune can be an end worthy of his being.

No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of Truth.

Nothing is more damaging to a state than that cunning men pass for wise.

Nothing is to be feared but fear.

Read not to contradict and confute, not to believe and take for granted, not to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider.

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

Since one cannot know all there is to be known about everything,one needs to know something about everything.

Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.