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Read not books alone, but men, and amongst them chiefly thyself.

Francis Quarles

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Francis Quarles
Age: 52 †
Born: 1592
Born: May 8
Died: 1644
Died: September 8
Author
Poet
Writer
Havering
Men
Distasteful
Chiefly
Amongst
Thyself
Alone
Books
Read
Book
Flatterer

More quotes by 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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Lust is a sharp spur to vice, which always putteth the affections into a false gallop.
Francis Quarles
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The average person's ear weighs what you are, not what you were.
Francis Quarles
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God's pleasure is at the end of our prayers.
Francis Quarles
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Physicians, of all men, are most happy whatever good success soever they have, the world proclaimeth and what faults they commit, the earth covereth.
Francis Quarles
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Heav'n is not always got by running.
Francis Quarles
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Other vices make their own way this makes way for all vices. He that is a drunkard is qualified for all vice.
Francis Quarles
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The grave is sooner cloy'd than men's desire.
Francis Quarles
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Meditation is the life of the soul: Action, the soul of meditation and honor the reward of action.
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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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.
Francis Quarles
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The place of charity, like that of God, is everywhere.
Francis Quarles
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If thou wouldst be justified, acknowledge thine injustice. He that confesses his sin, begins his journey toward salvation. He that is sorry for it, mends his pace. He that forsakes it, is at his journey's end.
Francis Quarles
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Thy ignorance in unrevealed mysteries is the mother of a saving faith, and thy understanding in revealed truths is the mother of a sacred knowledge understand not therefore that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand understanding is the wages of a lively faith and faith is the reward of an humble ignorance.
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.
Francis Quarles
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Too much is a vanity enough is a feast.
Francis Quarles
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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.
Francis Quarles
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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.
Francis Quarles
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Thy pride is but the prologue of thy shame where vain-glory commands, there folly counsels where pride rides, there shame lackeys.
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