Francis Quarles Quotes

Francis Quarles writes plaintive, moral reflections on self, destiny and the burdens of life.

38 quotes

1. No man is born unto himself alone; Who lives unto himself, he lives to none.

2. The way to bliss lies not on beds of down, And he that has no cross deserves no crown.

3. Shine Son of glory, and my sinnes are gone Like twinkling Starres before the rising Sunne.

4. Even such is man, whose glory lends His life a blaze or two, and ends.

5. He that loves thee, He that keeps And guards thee, never slumbers, never sleeps.

6. My soul, sit thou a patient looker-on; Judge not the play before the play is done: Her plot hath many changes; every day Speaks a new scene; the last act crowns the play.

7. Thou art my life, my way, my light

8. Let the fear of a danger be a spur to prevent it: He that fears otherwise, gives advantage to the danger.

9. Anger, when it is long in coming, is the stronger when it comes, and the longer kept.

10. And what's a life? - a weary pilgrimage, Whose glory in one day doth fill the stage With childhood, manhood, and decrepit age.

11. Let all thy joys be as the month of May And all thy days be as a marriage day: Let sorrow, sickness, and a troubled mind Be stranger to thee.

12. The world's an Inn; and I her guest.

13. Death aims with fouler spite At fairer marks.

14. This house is to be let for life or years; Her rent is sorrow, and her income tears. Cupid, 't has long stood void; her bills make known, She must be dearly let, or let alone.

15. Sweet Phosphor, bring the day Whose conquering ray May chase these fogs; Sweet Phosphor, bring the day! Sweet Phosphor, bring the day! Light will repay The wrongs of night; Sweet Phosphor, bring the day!

16. We spend our midday sweat, our midnight oil; We tire the night in thought, the day in toil.

17. Be wisely worldly, be not worldly wise.

18. The slender debt to Nature's quickly paid, Discharged, perchance, with greater ease than made.

19. The road to resolution lies by doubt: The next way home's the farthest way about.

20. The next way home's the farthest way about.

21. It is the lot of man but once to die.

22. 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.

23. Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become decent, till then ridiculous; where the eye is the jury thy apparel is the evidence.

24. The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The Levites are Correctors; Heaven Revises. Death is the common Press, from whence being driven, We're gather'd, Sheet by Sheet, and bound for Heaven.

25. Luxury is an enticing pleasure, a bastard mirth, which hath honey in her mouth, gall in her heart, and a sting in her tail.

26. Deliberate long before thou consecrate a friend, and when thy impartial justice concludes him worthy of thy bosom, receive him joyfully, and entertain him wisely; impart thy secrets boldly, and mingle thy thoughts with his: he is thy very self; and use him so; if thou firmly think him faithful, thou makest him so.

27. What treasures here do Mammon's sons behold! Yet know that all that which glitters is not gold.

28. Meditation is the life of the soul: Action, the soul of meditation; and honor the reward of action.

29. The world is deceitful; her end is doubtful, her conclusion is horrible, her judge terrible, and her judgment is intolerable.

30. I wish thee as much pleasure in the reading, as I had in the writing.

31. The suburbs of folly is vain mirth, and profuseness of laughter is the city of fools.

32. The fountain of beauty is the heart and every generous thought illustrates the walls of your chamber.

33. The strong desires of man's insatiate breast may stand possess'd Of all that earth can give; but earth can give no rest.

34. Knowledge descries; wisdom applies.

35. In all thy actions think God sees thee; and in all His actions labor to see Him; that will make thee fear Him; 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.

36. Rather do what is nothing to the purpose than be idle; that the devil may find thee doing. The bird that sits is easily shot, when fliers scape the fowler. Idleness is the Dead Sea that swallows all the virtues, and the self-made sepulchre of a living man.

37. Read not books alone, but men, and amongst them chiefly thyself.

38. The height of all philosophy is to know thyself; and the end of this knowledge is to know God.