Authors
Topics
Lists
Pictures
Resources
More about Francis Quarles
Francis Quarles Quotes
129 Sourced Quotes
Source
Report...
Every man's vanity ought to be his greatest shame; and every man's folly ought to be his greatest secret.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
The way to subject all things to thyself is to subject thyself to reason; thou shalt govern many, if reason govern thee. Wouldst thou be crowned the monarch of a little world? command thyself.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
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
Source
Report...
What well-advised ear regards What earth can say? Thy words are gold, but thy rewards Are painted clay.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
The worldly wisdom of the foolish man Is like a sieve, that does alone retain The grosser substance of the worthless bran: But thou, my soul, let thy brave thoughts disdain So coarse a purchase: O be thou a fan To purge the chaff, and keep the winnow'd grain: Make clean thy thoughts, and dress thy mixt desires: Thou art Heav'n's tasker, and thy God requires The purest of thy flow'r, as well as of thy fires.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
The light of the understanding, humility kindleth and pride covereth.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Charity is a naked child, giving honey to a bee without wings.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Virtue is nothing but an act of loving that which is to be beloved, and that act is prudence, from whence not to be removed by constraint is fortitude; not to be allured by enticements is temperance; not to be diverted by pride is justice.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Make philosophy thy journey, theology thy journey's end: philosophy is a pleasant way, but dangerous to him that either tires or retires; in this journey it is safe neither to loiter nor to rest, till thou hast attained thy journey's end; he that sits down a philosopher rises up an atheist.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
The world is deceitful; her end is doubtful, her conclusion is horrible, her judge terrible, and her judgment is intolerable.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Deliberate long before thou consecrate a friend, and when thy impartial justice concludes him worthy of thy bosom, receive him joyfully, and entertain him wisely; impart thy secrets boldly, and mingle thy thoughts with his: he is thy very self; and use him so; if thou firmly think him faithful, thou makest him so.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Hath any wounded thee with injuries? Meet them with patience. Hasty words rankle the wound; soft language dresses it.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Be not too great a niggard in the commendations of him that professes thy own quality: if he deserve thy praise, thou hast discovered thy judgment; if not, thy modesty: honor either returns or reflects to the giver.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Alas! fond child, How are thy thoughts beguil'd To hope for honey from a nest of wasps? Thou may'st as well Go seek for ease in hell, Or sprightly nectar from the mouths of asps. The world's a hive, From whence thou canst derive No good, but what thy soul's vexation brings: But case thou meet Some petty-petty sweet, Each drop is guarded with a thousand stings.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
As there is no worldly gain without some loss, so there is no worldly loss without some gain; if thou hast lost thy wealth, thou hast lost some trouble with it; if thou art degraded from thy honor, thou art likewise freed from the stroke of envy; if sickness hath blurred thy beauty, it hath delivered thee from pride. Set the allowance against the loss, and thou shalt find no loss great; he loses little or nothing, that reserves himself.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Nor fire, nor rocks, can stop our furious minds, Nor waves, nor winds.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
If thy desire to raise thy fortunes encourage thy delights to the casts of fortune, be wise betimes, lest thou repent too late; what thou gettest, thou gainest by abused providence; what thou losest, thou losest by abused patience; what thou winnest is prodigally spent; what thou losest is prodigally lost; it is an evil trade that prodigally drives; and a bad voyage where the pilot is blind.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
If thou seest anything in thyself which may make thee proud, look a little further and thou shalt find enough to humble thee; if thou be wise, view the peacock's feathers with his feet, and weigh thy best parts with thy imperfections.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
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
Source
Report...
In all thy actions think God sees thee; and in all His actions labor to see Him; that will make thee fear Him; this will move thee to love Him; the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, and the knowledge of God is the perfection of love.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
What money creates, money preserves: if thy wealth decays, thy honor dies; it is but a slippery happiness which fortunes can give, and frowns can take; and not worth the owning which a night's fire can melt, or a rough sea can drown.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Seest thou good days? Prepare for evil times. No summer but hath its winter. He never reaped comfort in adversity that sowed not in prosperity.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
Blessedness is promised to the peacemaker, not to the conqueror.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
No labor is hard, no time is long, wherein the glory of eternity is the mark we level at.
Francis Quarles
Source
Report...
It is no happiness to live long, nor unhappiness to die soon; happy is he that hath lived long enough to die well.
Francis Quarles
1
2
3
4
5
6
Quote of the day
Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.
Dorothy L. Sayers
Francis Quarles
Creative Commons
Born:
May 8, 1592
Died:
September 8, 1644
(aged 52)
Bio:
Francis Quarles was an English poet most famous for his Emblem book aptly entitled Emblems.
Known for:
Emblemes (1635)
Emblems, divine and moral
Judgment and mercy for afflicted souls
Most used words:
day
man
glory
sweet
god
life
bring
phosphor
virtue
fear
soul
alone
danger
building
night
Francis Quarles on Wikipedia
Francis Quarles works on Wikisource
Suggest an edit or a new quote
Francis Quarles Quotes
Francis Quarles Short Quotes
English Poet Quotes
Poet Quotes
17th-century Poet Quotes
Related People
Richard Crashaw
British Poet
George Herbert
English Orator
Henry Vaughan
Welsh Physician
Thomas Traherne
English Poet
Andrew Marvell
English Politician
Featured Authors
Lists
Predictions that didn't happen
If it's on the Internet it must be true
Remarkable Last Words (or Near-Last Words)
Picture Quotes
Confucius
Philip James Bailey
Eleanor Roosevelt
Letitia Elizabeth Landon
Popular Topics
life
love
nature
time
god
power
human
mind
work
art
heart
thought
men
day
×
Lib Quotes