Great Throughts Treasury

"There is in human nature generally more of the fool than of the wise."

"There is in man's nature a secret inclination and motion towards love of others, which, if it be not spent upon someone or a few, doth naturally spread itself towards many, and maketh men become humane and charitable, as it is seen sometimes in friars. Nuptial love maketh mankind, friendly love perfecteth it, but wanton love corrupteth and embaseth it."

"There is no art better than to be liberal of praise and commendation to others in that wherein a manÂ’s self hath any perfection."

"There is little friendship in the world, and least of all between equals."

"There is no consumption, unless that which is lost by one body passes into another. Explanation. In nature there is no annihilation; and therefore the thing which is consumed either passes into the air, or is received into some adjacent body."

"There is no affectation in passion; for that putteth a man out of his precepts, and in a new case there custom leaveth him."

"There is no doubt but men of genius and leisure may carry our method to greater perfection, but, having had long experience, we have found none equal to it for the commodiousness it affords in working with the Understanding."

"There is no man that imparteth his joys to his friends, but he joyeth the more; and no man that imparteth his griefs to his friends, but he grieveth the less."

"There is no other way but to meditate and ruminate well upon the effects of anger,—how it troubles man’s life; and the best time to do this is to look back upon anger when the fit is thoroughly over. Seneca saith well, “that anger is like rain, which breaks itself upon that it falls.” The Scripture exhorteth us “to possess our souls in patience:” whosoever is out of patience is out of possession of his soul…. Anger is certainly a kind of baseness; as it appears well in the weakness of those subjects in whom it reigns,—children, women, old folks, sick folks. Only men must beware that they carry their anger rather with scorn than with fear; so that they may seem rather to be above the injury than below it; which is a thing easily done, if a man will give law to himself in it…. To contain anger from mischief, though it take hold of a man, there be two things whereof you must have special caution: the one of extreme bitterness of words, especially if they be aculeate and proper; for “communia maledicta” are nothing so much; and again, that in anger a man reveal no secrets; for that makes him not fit for society: the other, that you do not peremptorily break off in any business in a fit of anger; but howsoever you show bitterness, do not act anything that is not revocable."

"There is no vice that doth so cover a man with shame as to be found false and perfidious: and therefore Montaigne saith prettily, when he inquireth the reason why the word of the lie should be such a disgrace, and such an odious charge, “If it be well weighed, to say that a man lieth is as much as to say that he is brave towards God, and a coward towards men: for a lie faces God, and shrinks from man.”"

"There is no vice that doth so cover a man with shame as to be discovered in a lie; for as Montaigne saith, A liar would be brave toward God, while he is a coward toward men; for a lie faces God, and shrinks from man."

"There is nothing makes a man suspect much, more than to know little."

"There is nothing more certain in nature than that it is impossible for anybody to be utterly annihilated."

"There never was found in any age of the world, either philosophy, or sect, or religion, or law, or discipline, which did so highly exalt the good of the community, and increase private and particular good as the holy Christian faith.-Hence, it clearly appears that it was one and the same God that gave the Christian law to men, who gave the laws of nature to the creatures."

"There never was found, in any age of the world, either religion or law that did so highly exalt the public good as the Bible."

"There is the supreme and indissoluble consanguinity and society between men in general; of which the heathen poet, whom the apostle calls to witness, saith, We are all his generation."

"There was a soldier that vaunted before Julius Cæsar of the hurts he had received in his face. Cæsar, knowing him to be but a coward, told him, You were best take heed, next time you run away, how you look back."

"There is the supreme and indissoluble consanguinity between men, of which the heathen poet saith, we are all His generation."

"There is yet another fault (with which I will conclude this part) which is often noted in learned men, that they do many times fail to observe decency and discretion in their behaviour and carriage, and commit errors in small and ordinary points of action, so as the vulgar sort of capacities do make a judgment of them in greater matters by that which they find wanting in them in smaller. But this consequence doth oft deceive men, for which I do refer them over to that which was said by Themistocles, arrogantly and uncivilly being applied to himself out of his own mouth, but, being applied to the general state of this question, pertinently and justly, when, being invited to touch a lute, he said, “He could not fiddle, but he could make a small town a great state.”"

"There never was law, or sect, or opinion did so magnify goodness as the Christian religion doth."

"There was a young man in Rome that was very like Augustus Caesar; Augustus took knowledge of it and sent for the man, and asked him "Was your mother never at Rome?" He answered "No Sir; but my father was.""

"There was never proud man thought so absurdly well of himself, as the lover doth of the person loved; and therefore it was well said, That it is impossible to love, and to be wise."

"There were taken apples, and Â… closed up in wax. Â… After a month's space, the apple inclosed in was was as green and fresh as the first putting in, and the kernals continued white. The cause is, for that all exclusion of open air, which is ever predatory, maintaineth the body in its first freshness and moisture."

"Therefore if a man look sharply and attentively, he shall see Fortune: for though she be blind, yet she is not invisible."

"These are not places merely of favor, the charge of souls lies upon them; the greatest account whereof will be required at their hands."

"There's no fortune so good, but it bates an ace."

"These instances therefore should be employed as a sort of preparative for setting right and purging the understanding. For whatever withdraws the understanding from the things to which it is accustomed, smooths and levels its surface for the reception of the dry and pure light of true ideas."

"They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations."

"These we call Idols of the Theatre, for we account all invented systems of philosophy as so many stage-plays, representing scenic and fictitious worlds... Nor in this do we comprehend only the universal philosophies, but all principles and axioms of Knowledge which have thrived on tradition, credulity and negligence."

"These times are the ancient times, when the world is ancient, and not those which we account ancient ordine retrogrado, by a computation backward from ourselves."

"They are all ill discoverers that think that there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea."

"They are the best physicians, who being great in learning most incline to the traditions of experience, or being distinguished in practice do not reflect the methods and generalities of art."

"They are the best laws by which the king hath the justest prerogative and the people the best liberty."

"They do best who, if they cannot but admit love, yet make it keep quarter, and sever it wholly from their serious affairs and actions of life; for if it check once with business it troubleth menÂ’s fortunes, and maketh men that they can no ways be true to their own ends."

"They have in Turkey a drink called coffee, made of a berry of the same name. This drink comforteth the brain and heart, and helpeth digestion."

"They live ill, who think to live forever."

"They that are the first raisers of their houses are most indulgent towards their children, beholding them as the continuances, not only of their kind, but of their work; and so both children and creatures."

"They that reverence too much old times are but a scorn to the new."

"Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly."

"They that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils."

"They who derive their worth from their ancestors resemble potatoes, the most valuable part of which is underground."

"Things will have their first or second agitation. If they be not tossed upon the arguments of counsel, they will be tossed upon the waves of fortune."

"Thirdly, we must make a presentation to the understanding of instances in which the nature under inquiry is found in different degrees, more or less; which must be done by making a comparison either of its increase and decrease in the same subject, or of its amount in different subjects, as compared one with another. For since the form of a thing is the very thing itself, and the thing differs from the form no otherwise than as the apparent differs from the real, or the external from the internal, or the thing in reference to man from the thing in reference to the universe, it necessarily follows that no nature can be taken as the true form, unless it always decrease when the nature in question decreases, and in like manner always increase when the nature in question increases. This Table therefore I call the Table of Degrees or the Table of Comparison."

"This delivering of knowledge in distinct and disjointed aphorisms doth leave the wit of man more free to turn and toss, and to make use of that which is so delivered to more several purposes and applications."

"This communicating of a manÂ’s self to his friend works two contrary effects, for it redoubleth joys and cutteth griefs in half: for there is no man that imparteth his joys to his friend, but he joyeth the more; and no man that imparteth his griefs to his friend, but he grieveth the less."

"This is a flourish: there follow excellent parables: as that she gathereth strength in going; that she goeth upon the ground, and yet hideth her head in the clouds; that in the daytime she sitteth in a watch-tower, and flieth most by night; that she mingleth things done with things not done; and that she is a terror to great cities."

"This is certain, that a man that studieth revenge keeps his wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well."

"This incessant and sabbathless pursuit of a manÂ’s fortune leaveth not tribute which we owe to God of our time."

"This is well to be weighed, that boldness is ever blind; for it seeth not dangers and inconveniences: therefore it is ill in council, good in execution; so that the right use of bold persons is, that they never command in chief, but be seconds, and under the direction of others: for in counsel it is good to see dangers, and in execution not to see them, except they be very great."

"This is the foundation of all. We are not to imagine or suppose, but to discover, what nature does or may be made to do."