Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much.
– Sir Francis Bacon
A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.
– Sir Francis Bacon
A bachelor's life is a fine breakfast, a flat lunch, and a miserable dinner.
– Sir Francis Bacon
A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion.
– Sir Francis Bacon
A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it.
– Sir Francis Bacon
A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Acorns were good until bread was found.
– Sir Francis Bacon
All rising to great place is by a winding stair.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time.
– Sir Francis Bacon
As the births of living creatures are at first ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of time.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Beauty itself is but the sensible image of the Infinite.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Boldness is ever blind, for it sees not dangers and inconveniences whence it is bad in council though good in execution.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Books will speak plain when counsellors blanch.
– Sir Francis Bacon
But men must know, that in this theatre of man's life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Certainly the best works, and of greatest merit for the public, have proceeded from the unmarried, or childless men.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Children sweeten labours, but they make misfortunes more bitter.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Cure the disease and kill the patient.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Discretion of speech is more than eloquence, and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words, or in good order.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Fashion is only the attempt to realize art in living forms and social intercourse.
– Sir Francis Bacon
For my name and memory I leave to men's charitable speeches, and to foreign nations and the next ages.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Fortitude is the marshal of thought, the armor of the will, and the fort of reason.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Fortune is like the market, where, many times, if you can stay a little, the price will fall.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Friends are thieves of time.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Friendship increases in visiting friends, but in visiting them seldom.
– Sir Francis Bacon
God hangs the greatest weights upon the smallest wires.
– Sir Francis Bacon
God has placed no limits to the exercise of the intellect he has given us, on this side of the grave.
– Sir Francis Bacon
God's first creature, which was light.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Good fame is like fire; when you have kindled you may easily preserve it; but if you extinguish it, you will not easily kindle it again.
– Sir Francis Bacon
He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.
– Sir Francis Bacon
He that hath knowledge spareth his words.
– Sir Francis Bacon
He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief.
– Sir Francis Bacon
He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.
– Sir Francis Bacon
I do not believe that any man fears to be dead, but only the stroke of death.
– Sir Francis Bacon
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.
– Sir Francis Bacon
I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.
– Sir Francis Bacon
If a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.
– Sir Francis Bacon
If thou would'st have that stream of hard-earn'd knowledge, of Wisdom heaven-born, remain sweet running waters, thou should'st not leave it to become a stagnant pond.
– Sir Francis Bacon
If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.
– Sir Francis Bacon
In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.
– Sir Francis Bacon
In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior.
– Sir Francis Bacon
It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other.
– Sir Francis Bacon
It is impossible to love and to be wise.
– Sir Francis Bacon
It is in life as it is in ways, the shortest way is commonly the foulest, and surely the fairer way is not much about.
– Sir Francis Bacon
It was prettily devised of Aesop, The fly sat on the axle tree of the chariot wheel and said, what dust do I raise!
– Sir Francis Bacon
Judges must beware of hard constructions and strained inferences, for there is no worse torture than that of laws.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Judges ought to be more leaned than witty, more reverent than plausible, and more advised than confident. Above all things, integrity is their portion and proper virtue.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Knowledge and human power are synonymous.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Lies are sufficient to breed opinion, and opinion brings on substance.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Life, an age to the miserable, and a moment to the happy.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Little do men perceive what solitude is, and how far it extendeth. For a crowd is not company, and faces are but a gallery of pictures, and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Many a man's strength is in opposition, and when he faileth, he grows out of use.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased by tales, so is the other.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Money is like manure, of very little use except it be spread.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Nakedness is uncomely, as well in mind as body, and it addeth no small reverence to men's manners and actions if they be not altogether open. Therefore set it down: That a habit of secrecy is both politic and moral.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Next to religion, let your care be to promote justice.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Nothing is pleasant that is not spiced with variety.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Of all virtues and dignities of the mind, goodness is the greatest, being the character of the Deity; and without it, man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Oh! death will find me long before I tire of watching you.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Opportunity makes a thief.
– Sir Francis Bacon
People have discovered that they can fool the devil; but they can't fool the neighbors.
– Sir Francis Bacon
People usually think according to their inclinations, speak according to their learning and ingrained opinions, but generally act according to custom.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Pictures and shapes are but secondary objects and please or displease only in the memory.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; adversity not without many comforts and hopes.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Rebellions of the belly are the worst.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Riches are a good hand maiden, but a poor mistress.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Science is but an image of the truth.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Seek ye first the good things of the mind, and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will not be felt.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Silence is the virtue of fools.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Studies perfect nature and are perfected still by experience.
– Sir Francis Bacon
Studies serve for delight, for ornaments, and for ability.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The correlative to loving our neighbors as ourselves is hating ourselves as we hate our neighbors.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The desire of excessive power caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge caused men to fall.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The fortune which nobody sees makes a person happy and unenvied.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The genius, wit, and the spirit of a nation are discovered by their proverbs.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The great end of life is not knowledge but action.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The joys of parents are secret, and so are their grieves and fears.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The momentous thing in human life is the art of winning the soul to good or evil.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The mould of a man's fortune is in his own hands.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The pencil of the Holy Ghost hath labored more in describing the afflictions of Job than the felicities of Solomon.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The place of justice is a hallowed place.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The remedy is worse than the disease.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The subtlety of nature is greater many times over than the subtlety of the senses and understanding.
– Sir Francis Bacon
The way of fortune is like the milkyway in the sky; which is a number of small stars, not seen asunder, but giving light together: so it is a number of little and scarce discerned virtues, or rather faculties and customs, that make men fortunate.
