Inspirational Quotes by Francis Quarles (English Religious Poet)

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

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 any injury.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Revenge, Forgiveness

If you desire to be magnanimous, undertake nothing rashly, and fear nothing thou undertakest.—Fear nothing but infamy; dare anything but injury; the measure of magnanimity is to be neither rash nor timorous.
—Francis Quarles

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
Topics: Philosophy

Be very circumspect in the choice of thy company. In the society of thine equals thou shalt enjoy more pleasure; in the society of thy superiors thou shalt find more profit. To be the best in the company is the way to grow worse; the best means to grow better is to be the worst there.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Associates

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 the monarch of a little world?—command thyself.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Reason

Let not thy table exceed the fourth part of thy revenue: let thy provision be solid, and not far fetched, fuller of substance than art: be wisely frugal in thy preparation, and freely cheerful in thy entertainment: if thy guests be right, it is enough; if not, it is too much: too much is a vanity; enough is a feast.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Appetite

Ignorance as to unrevealed mysteries is the mother of a saving faith; and understanding in revealed truths is the mother of a sacred knowledge.—Understand not therefore that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand.—Understanding is the wages of a lively faith, and faith is the reward of an humble ignorance.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Faith

Thou canst not rebuke in children what they see practised in thee.—Till reason be ripe, examples direct more than precepts.—Such as is thy behavior before thy children’s faces, such is theirs behind thy back.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Example

The place of charity, like that of God, is everywhere. Proportion thy charity to the strength of thine estate, lest God proportion thine estate to the weakness of thy charity.—Let the lips of the poor be the trumpet of thy gift, lest in seeking applause, thou lose thy reward.—Nothing is more pleasing to God than an open hand, and a closed mouth.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Charity

The average person’s ear weighs what you are, not what you were.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Reputation

If thou desire to be truly valiant, fear to do any injury; he that fears to do evil is always afraid to suffer evil; he that never fears is desperate; he that fears always is a coward: he is the true valiant man that dares nothing but what he may, and fears nothing but what he ought.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Valor

Be as far from desiring the popular love as fearful to deserve the popular hate; ruin dwells in both; the one will hug thee to death; the other will crush thee to destruction: to escape the first, be not ambitious; avoid the second, be not seditious.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Popularity

No cross no crown.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Victory

If any speak ill of thee, flee home to thy own conscience, and examine thy heart: if thou be guilty, it is a just correction; if not guilty, it is a fair instruction: make use of both; so shalt thou distil honey out of gall, and out of an open enemy create a secret friend.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Slander, Conscience

Give not thy tongue too great 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.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Silence

The heart is a small thing, but desireth great matters. It is not sufficient for a kite’s dinner, yet the whole world is not sufficient for it.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Love

That friendship will not continue to the end which is begun for an end.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Friends, Friendship

Wouldest thou not be thought a fool in another’s conceit, be not wise in thy own: he that trusts to his own wisdom, proclaims his own folly: he is truly wise, and shall appear so, that hath folly enough to be thought not worldly wise, or wisdom enough to see his own folly.
—Francis Quarles

Let all thy joys be as the month of May,
And all thy days be as a marriage day.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Blessings

Be always less willing to speak than to hear; what thou hearest, thou receivest; what thou speakest thou givest.—It is more glorious to give, but more profitable to receive.
—Francis Quarles

If thou expect death as a friend, prepare to entertain him; if as an enemy, prepare to overcome him.—Death has no advantage except when he comes as a stranger.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Death

Meditation is the life of the soul; action is the soul of meditation; honor is the reward of action; so meditate, that thou mayst do; so do, that thou mayst purchase honor; for which purchase, give God the glory.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Meditation

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 shaft find no loss great.—He loses little or nothing who reserves himself.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Adversity, Difficulties

That action is not warrantable which either fears to ask the divine blessing on its performance, or having succeeded, does not come with thanksgiving to God for its success.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Action

Be wisely worldly, but not worldly wise.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Wisdom

Let the words of a virgin, though in a good cause, and to as good purpose, be neither violent, many, nor first, nor last.—It is less shame for her to be lost in a blushing silence, than to be found in a bold eloquence.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Maidenhood

Scandal breeds hatred; hatred begets division; division makes faction, and faction brings ruin.
—Francis Quarles

Put off thy cares with thy clothes; so shall thy rest strengthen thy labor; and and so shall thy labor sweeten thy rest.
—Francis Quarles
Topics: Leisure, Sleep, Rest

In all thine actions think that God sees thee, and in all his actions labor to see him.—That will make thee fear him, and 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
Topics: God

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