Quote

Read not books alone, but men, and amongst them chiefly thyself. If thou find anything questionable there, use the commentary of a severe friend, rather than the gloss of a sweet-lipped flatterer there is more profit in a distasteful truth than in deceitful sweetness.

Francis Quarles

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Francis Quarles
Age: 52 †
Born: 1592
Born: May 8
Died: 1644
Died: September 8
Author
Poet
Writer
Havering
Rather
Profit
Questionable
Read
Thou
Chiefly
Use
Friendship
Commentary
Truth
Sweet
Amongst
Lipped
Anything
Friend
Thyself
Flatterer
Find
Alone
Deceit
Distasteful
Book
Books
Sweetness
Gloss
Men
Lying
Severe
Deceitful

More quotes by Francis Quarles

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False world, thou ly'st: thou canst not lend The least delight: Thy favours cannot gain a friend, They are so slight.
Francis Quarles
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No man is born unto himself alone Who lives unto himself, he lives to none.
Francis Quarles
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Things temporal are sweeter in the expectation, things eternal are sweeter in the fruition the first shames thy hope, the second crowns it it is a vain journey, whose end affords less pleasure than the way.
Francis Quarles
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The place of charity, like that of God, is everywhere.
Francis Quarles
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Hath fortune dealt thee ill cards? let wisdom make thee a good gamester. In a fair gale, every fool may sail, but wise behavior in a storm commends the wisdom of a pilot to bear adversity with an equal mind is both the sign and glory of a brave spirit.
Francis Quarles
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Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it what custom hath civilized is become decent, till then ridiculous where the eye is the jury thy apparel is the evidence.
Francis Quarles
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Wrinkle not thy face with too much laughter, lest thou become ridiculous neither wanton thy heart with too much mirth, lest thou become vain: the suburbs of folly is vain mirth, and profuseness of laughter is the city of fools.
Francis Quarles
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Poor thieves in halters we behold And great thieves in their chains of gold.
Francis Quarles
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See, here's a shadow found the human nature Is made th' umbrella to the Deity, To catch the sunbeams of thy just Creator Beneath this covert thou may'st safely lie.
Francis Quarles
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Heav'n is not always got by running.
Francis Quarles
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In thy apparel avoid singularity, profuseness, and gaudiness. Be not too early in the fashion, nor too late. Decency is half way between affectation and neglect. The body is the shell of the soul, apparel is the husk of that shell the husk often tells you what the kernel is.
Francis Quarles
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Hath any wronged thee? be bravely revenged slight it, and the work is begun forgive it, and it is finished he is below himself that is not above an injury.
Francis Quarles
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Think not thy love to God merits God's love to thee His acceptance of thy duty crowns His own gifts in thee man's love to God is nothing but a faint reflection of God's love to man.
Francis Quarles
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Wickedness is its own punishment.
Francis Quarles
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After years of research, scientists recently reported that there is, indeed, arroz in Spanish Harlem. A full tongue and an empty brain are seldom parted.
Francis Quarles
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Whosoever obeyeth the devil, casteth himself down: for the devil may suggest, compel he cannot.
Francis Quarles
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Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Francis Quarles
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Shine Son of glory, and my sinnes are goneLike twinkling Starres before the rising Sunne.
Francis Quarles
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Every man's vanity ought to be his greatest shame and every man's folly ought to be his greatest secret.
Francis Quarles
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If thou desire to purchase honor with thy wealth, consider first how that wealth became thine if thy labor got it, let thy wisdom keep it if oppression found it, let repentance restore it if thy parent left it, let thy virtues deserve it so shall thy honor be safer, better and cheaper.
Francis Quarles