Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban PC KCwas an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, and author. He served both as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. After his death, he remained extremely influential through his works, especially as philosophical advocate and practitioner of the scientific method during the scientific revolution...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth21 January 1561
authority grave ought severity
Severity breedeth fear, but roughness breedeth hate. Even reproofs from authority ought to be grave and not taunting.
create follow good
Set it down to thyself, as well to create good precedents as to follow them.
man nature
Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed. In everything man has accomplished, we have only manipulated nature into doing what it is.
haste lose move nature
Nature is a labyrinth in which the very haste you move with will make you lose your way.
essays
My essays . . . come home, to men's business, and bosoms.
bear matter prevent surest
The surest way to prevent seditions (if the times do bear it) is to take away the matter of them.
itself pure remains
The sun, which passeth through pollutions and itself remains as pure as before.
hyperbole love perpetual speaking
The speaking in perpetual hyperbole is comely in nothing but love
adversity comforts fears prosperity
Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; and adversity is not without comforts and hopes.
adversity comforts fears prosperity
Prosperity is not without many fears and distaste; adversity not without many comforts and hopes.
adversity best discover doth prosperity
Prosperity doth best discover vice; but adversity doth best discover virtue.
believe consider contradict histories men nor weigh
Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, but to weigh and consider . . . Histories make men wise.
conference exact full reading ready
Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.
cause evil good heavenly princes
Princes are like to heavenly bodies, which cause good or evil times, and which have much veneration but no rest.