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If thou desire to be held wise, be so wise as to hold thy tongue.

Francis Quarles

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Francis Quarles
Age: 52 †
Born: 1592
Born: May 8
Died: 1644
Died: September 8
Author
Poet
Writer
Havering
Held
Tongue
Thou
Hold
Silence
Wise
Desire

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With a bloody flux of oaths vows deep revenge.
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Let the fear of a danger be a spur to prevent it he that fears not gives advantage to the danger it is less folly not to endeavor the prevention of the evil thou fearest than to fear the evil which thy endeavor cannot prevent.
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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.
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If thy daughter marry well, thou hast found a son if not, thou hast lost a daughter.
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God hath given to mankind a common library, His creatures to every man a proper book, himself being an abridgment of all others. If thou read with understanding, it will make thee a great master of philosophy, and a true servant of the divine Author: if thou but barely read, it will make thee thine own wise man and the Author's fool.
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Let the greatest part of the news thou hearest be the least part of what thou believest, lest the greater part of what thou believest be the least part of what is true.
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In the height of thy prosperity expect adversity, but fear it not. If it come not, thou art the more sweetly possessed of the happiness thou hast, and the more strongly confirmed. If it come, thou art the more gently dispossessed of the happiness thou hadst, and the more firmly prepared.
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Wouldst thou multiply thy riches? diminish them wisely or wouldst thou make thy estate entire? divide it charitably. Seeds that are scattered increase but, hoarded up, they perish.
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Lust is a sharp spur to vice, which always putteth the affections into a false gallop.
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God's pleasure is at the end of our prayers.
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Be not too rash in the breaking of an inconvenient custom as it was gotten, so leave it by degrees. Danger attends upon too sudden alterations he that pulls down a bad building by the great may be ruined by the fall, but he that takes it down brick by brick may live to build a better.
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Gold is Caesar's treasure, man is God's thy gold hath Caesar's image, and thou hast God's.
Francis Quarles
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Take heed thou trust not the deceitful lap Of wanton Dalilah the world's a trap.
Francis Quarles
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O lust, thou infernal fire, whose fuel is gluttony whose flame is pride, whose sparkles are wanton words whose smoke is infamy whose ashes are uncleanness whose end is hell.
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They who cannot be induced to fear for love will never be enforced to love for fear. Love opens the heart, fear shuts it that encourages, this compels and victory meets encouragement, but flees compulsion.
Francis Quarles
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Meditation is the life of the soul: Action, the soul of meditation and honor the reward of action.
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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.
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If thou wouldst preserve a sound body, use fasting and walking if a healthful soul, fasting and praying. Walking exercises the body praying exercises the soul fasting cleanses both.
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Heaven finds an ear when sinners find a tongue.
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Poor thieves in halters we behold And great thieves in their chains of gold.
Francis Quarles