Francis Bacon – 73 Quotes

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73 Quotes by Francis Bacon

Life, an age to the miserable, and a moment to the happy.

– Francis Bacon

I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.

– Francis Bacon

Wives are young men’s mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men’s nurses.

– Francis Bacon

Age appears to be best in four things old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.

– Francis Bacon

Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor.

– Francis Bacon

A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.

– Francis Bacon

The momentous thing in human life is the art of winning the soul to good or evil.

– Francis Bacon

Fashion is only the attempt to realize art in living forms and social intercourse.

– Francis Bacon

Beauty itself is but the sensible image of the Infinite.

– Francis Bacon

The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express.

– Francis Bacon

There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.

– Francis Bacon

The worst men often give the best advice.

– Francis Bacon

Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set.

– Francis Bacon

Certainly the best works, and of greatest merit for the public, have proceeded from the unmarried, or childless men.

– Francis Bacon

There is a wisdom in this beyond the rules of physic: a man’s own observation what he finds good of and what he finds hurt of is the best physic to preserve health.

– Francis Bacon

Young people are fitter to invent than to judge fitter for execution than for counsel and more fit for new projects than for settled business.

– Francis Bacon

Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.

– Francis Bacon

He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils for time is the greatest innovator.

– Francis Bacon

I do not believe that any man fears to be dead, but only the stroke of death.

– Francis Bacon

Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark and as that natural fear in children is increased by tales, so is the other.

– Francis Bacon

Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education in the elder, a part of experience.

– Francis Bacon

Studies perfect nature and are perfected still by experience.

– Francis Bacon

Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.

– Francis Bacon

Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes adversity not without many comforts and hopes.

– Francis Bacon

Friendship increases in visiting friends, but in visiting them seldom.

– Francis Bacon

God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures.

– Francis Bacon

God’s first creature, which was light.

– Francis Bacon

God hangs the greatest weights upon the smallest wires.

– Francis Bacon

Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God.

– Francis Bacon

God has placed no limits to the exercise of the intellect he has given us, on this side of the grave.

– Francis Bacon

But men must know, that in this theatre of man’s life it is reserved only for God and angels to be lookers on.

– Francis Bacon

Acorns were good until bread was found.

– Francis Bacon

He that gives good advice, builds with one hand he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.

– Francis Bacon

The great end of life is not knowledge but action.

– Francis Bacon

When a man laughs at his troubles he loses a great many friends. They never forgive the loss of their prerogative.

– Francis Bacon

He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief.

– Francis Bacon

There is a difference between happiness and wisdom: he that thinks himself the happiest man is really so but he that thinks himself the wisest is generally the greatest fool.

– Francis Bacon

Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time.

– Francis Bacon

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.

– Francis Bacon

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not a sense of humor to console him for what he is.

– Francis Bacon

They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.

– Francis Bacon

Knowledge is power.

– Francis Bacon

He that hath knowledge spareth his words.

– Francis Bacon

Knowledge and human power are synonymous.

– Francis Bacon

The desire of excessive power caused the angels to fall the desire of knowledge caused men to fall.

– Francis Bacon

People usually think according to their inclinations, speak according to their learning and ingrained opinions, but generally act according to custom.

– Francis Bacon

A bachelor’s life is a fine breakfast, a flat lunch, and a miserable dinner.

– Francis Bacon

It is impossible to love and to be wise.

– Francis Bacon

By indignities men come to dignities.

– Francis Bacon

Wise men make more opportunities than they find.

– Francis Bacon

Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.

– Francis Bacon

The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.

– Francis Bacon

A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.

– Francis Bacon

Money is like manure, of very little use except it be spread.

– Francis Bacon

Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.

– Francis Bacon

We cannot command Nature except by obeying her.

– Francis Bacon

Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.

– Francis Bacon

The subtlety of nature is greater many times over than the subtlety of the senses and understanding.

– Francis Bacon

Revenge is a kind of wild justice, which the more a man’s nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out.

– Francis Bacon

Who ever is out of patience is out of possession of their soul.

– Francis Bacon

It is a strange desire, to seek power, and to lose liberty or to seek power over others, and to lose power over a man’s self.

– Francis Bacon

Next to religion, let your care be to promote justice.

– Francis Bacon

Science is but an image of the truth.

– Francis Bacon

If a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.

– Francis Bacon

Many a man’s strength is in opposition, and when he faileth, he grows out of use.

– Francis Bacon

Friends are thieves of time.

– Francis Bacon

Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.

– Francis Bacon

Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.

– Francis Bacon

What is truth? said jesting Pilate and would not stay for an answer.

– Francis Bacon

Truth is so hard to tell, it sometimes needs fiction to make it plausible.

– Francis Bacon

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.