Francis Quarles
21 quotes.
Quotes by Francis Quarles
- A word unspoken is a sword in the scabbard; a word uttered is a sword in another's hand.
- As there is no worldly gain without some loss, so there is no worldly loss without some gain.
- Be wisely worldly, but not worldly wise.
- Before thou reprehend another, take heed thou art not culpable in what thou goest about to reprehend. He that cleanses a blot with blotted fingers makes a greater blur.
- Beware of him that is slow to anger; anger, when it is long in coming, is the stronger when it comes, and the longer kept. Abused patience turns to fury.
- Give not thy tongue too great a liberty, lest it take thee prisoner. A word unspoken is like the sword in the scabbard, thine; if vented, thy sword is in another's hand. If thou desire to be held wise, be so wise as to hold thy tongue.
- 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.
- He that gives all, though but little, gives much; because God looks not to the quantity of the gift, but to the quality of the givers.
- He that has no cross will have no crown.
- If thou desire to be held wise, be so wise as to hold thy tongue.
- 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.
- If thy words be too luxuriant, confine them, lest they confine thee; he that thinks he never can speak enough may easily speak too much. A full tongue and an empty brain are seldom parted.
- In a fair gale every fool may sail, but wise behaviour in a storm commends the wisdom of the pilot.
- Let the fear of a danger be a spur to prevent it; he that fears not, gives advantage to the danger.
- Make thy recreation servant to thy business, lest thou become a slave to thy recreation.
- Make use of time if thou lovest eternity; yesterday cannot be recalled; to-morrow cannot be assured; only to-day is thine, which if thou procrastinate, thou losest; and which lost is lost forever. One to-day is worth two to-morrows.
- Prize not thyself by what thou hast, but by what thou art; he that values a jewel by its golden frame, or a book by its silver clasps, or a man by his vast estate, errs.
- Put off thy cares with thy clothes; so shall thy rest strengthen thy labor; and so shall thy labor sweeten thy rest.
- Scandal breeds hatred; hatred begets division; division makes faction, and faction brings ruin.
- 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.
- 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.