Quotes from Thomas More

By confronting us with irreducible mysteries that stretch our daily vision to include infinity, nature opens an inviting and guiding path toward a spiritual life.

Our emotional symptoms are precious sources of life and individuality.

And, indeed, though they differ concerning other things, yet all agree in this: that they think there is one Supreme Being that made and governs the world, whom they call, in the language of their country, Mithras.

If the lion knew his own strength, hard were it for any man to rule him.

I should only ever tell the king what he ought to do, not what he could do. For if the lion knows his own strength, no man could control him.

For when they see the people swarm into the streets, and daily wet to the skin with rain, and yet cannot persuade them to go out of the rain, they do keep themselves within their houses, seeing they cannot remedy the folly of the people.

One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated.

They wonder much to hear that gold, which in itself is so useless a thing, should be everywhere so much esteemed, that even men for whom it was made, and by whom it has its value, should yet be thought of less value than it is.

As for rosemary, I let it run all over my garden walls, not only because my bees love it but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance and to friendship, whence a sprig of it hath a dumb language.

There are several sorts of religions, not only in different parts of the island, but even in every town; some worshipping the sun, others the moon or one of the planets.

. . . the state of things and the dispositions of men were then such, that a man could not well tell whom he might trust or whom he might fear.

To love God, which was a thing far excelling all the cunning that is possible for us in this life to obtain.

Alas! how light a cause may move dissention between hearts that love!

The heart that has truly loved never forgets but as truly loves on to the close.

The most part of all princes have more delight in warlike manners and feats of chivalry than in the good feats of peace.

Getting married is like putting one's hand in a bag containing 99 serpents and one eel.

The increasing influence of the Bible is marvelously great, penetrating everywhere. It carries with it a tremendous power of freedom and justice guided by a combined force of wisdom and goodness.

And peradventure we have more cause to thank Him for our loss than for our winning; for His wisdom better seeth what is good for us than we do ourselves.

A man taking basil from a woman will love her always.

An absolutely new idea is one of the rarest things known to man.

Everywhere do I percieve a certain conspiracy of rich men seeking their own advantage underthat name and pretext of commonwealth.

The times are never so bad but that a good man can make shift to live in them.

By reason of gifts and bribes the offices be given to rich men, which should rather have been executed by wise men.

See me safe up: for in my coming down, I can shift for myself.