For friendship maketh indeed a fair day in the affections, from storm and tempests; but it maketh daylight in the understanding, out of darkness and confusion of thoughts.
Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.
Wives are young men’s mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men’s nurses.
Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.
Knowledge is power.
Love and envy make a man pine, which other affections do not, because they are not so continual.
Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake...
Money is a great servant but a bad master.
The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.
If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.
God has, in fact, written two books, not just one. Of course, we are all familiar with the first book he wrote, namely Scripture. But he has written a second book called creation.
A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.
Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true.
Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.
The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.
Truth is a good dog; but always beware of barking too close to the heels of an error, lest you get your brains kicked out.
The human understanding is like a false mirror, which, receiving rays irregularly, distorts and discolors the nature of things by mingling its own nature with it.
For a crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love.
Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.
Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much.