Philip Sidney
Either I will find a way, or I will make one.Collection: Motivational
The ingredients of health and long life, are great temperance, open air, easy labor, and little care.Collection: Health
It is great happiness to be praised of them who are most praiseworthy.Collection: Happiness
Poesy must not be drawn by the ears: it must be gently led, or rather, it must lead, which was partly the cause that made the ancient learned affirm it was a divine, and no human skill, since all other knowledges lie ready for any that have strength of wit; a poet no industry can make, if his own genius be not carried into it.Collection: Strength
A true knight is fuller of bravery in the midst, than in the beginning of danger.
The only disadvantage of an honest heart is credulity.
The poet nothing affirmeth and therefore never lieth.
It is the nature of the strong heart, that like the palm tree it strives ever upwards when it is most burdened.
If you have so earth-creeping a mind that it cannot lift itself up to look to the sky of poetry... thus much curse I must send you, in the behalf of all poets, that while you live, you live in love, and never get favour for lacking skill of a sonnet; and, when you die, your memory die from the earth for want of an epitaph.
Our erected wit maketh us to know what perfection is.
For conclusion, I say the philosopher teacheth, but he teacheth obscurely, so as the learned only can understand him; that is to say, he teacheth them that are already taught.
Plato found fault that the poets of his time filled the world with wrong opinions of the gods, making light tales of that unspotted essence, and therefore would not have the youth depraved with such opinions.
Indeed, the Roman laws allowed no person to be carried to the wars but he that was in the soldiers' roll.
Poetry, a speaking picture to teach and delight.Collection: Delight
My true love hath my heart, and I have hisCollection: Love
If you neglect your work, you will dislike it; if you do it well, you will enjoy itCollection: Work
Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.Collection: Gossip
Fear is far more painful to cowardice than death to true courage.Collection: Fear
Hope itself is a pain, while it is overmatched by fear.Collection: Hope
Come Sleep! Oh Sleep, the certain knot of peace, the baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe, the poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release, the indifferent judge between the high and low.Collection: Peace
A fair woman shall not only command without authority but persuade without speaking.Collection: Power
Courage ought to be guided by skill, and skill armed by courage. Neither should hardiness darken wit, nor wit cool hardiness. Be valiant as men despising death, but confident as unwonted to be overcome.Collection: Courage
Great is not great to the greater.Collection: Greatness
In victory, the hero seeks the glory, not the prey.Collection: Hero
Love, one time, layeth burdens; another time, giveth wings.Collection: Love
No is no negative in a woman's mouth.Collection: Negative
It is no less vain to wish death than it is cowardly to fear it.Collection: Suicide
Courage without discipline is nearer beastliness than manhood.Collection: Courage
It is hard, but it is excellent, to find the right knowledge of when correction is necessary and when grace doth most avail.Collection: Grace
Alexander received more bravery of mind by the pattern of Achilles, than by hearing the definition of fortitude.Collection: Bravery
Who shoots at the mid-day sun, though he be so sure he shall never hit the mark, yet as sure as he is, he shall shoot higher than he who aims at a bush.Collection: Sun
A dull head thinks of no better way to show himself wise, than by suspecting everything in his way.Collection: Wise
They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts.Collection: Single
As in labor, the more one doth exercise, the more one is enabled to do, strength growing upon work; so with the use of suffering, men's minds get the habit of suffering, and all fears and terrors are not to them but as a summons to battle, whereof they know beforehand they shall come off victorious.Collection: Growing Up
If any sensual weakness arise, we are to yield all our sound forces to the overthrowing of so unnatural a rebellion; wherein how can we want courage, since we are to deal against so feeble an adversary, that in itself is nothing but weakness? Nay, we are to resolve that if reason direct it, we must do it, and if we must do it, we will do it; for to say "I cannot" is childish, and "I will not" is womanish.Collection: Yield
Who will adhere to him that abandons himself?Collection: Self
The glory and increase of wisdom stands in exercising it.Collection: Wisdom
In forming a judgment, lay your hearts void of foretaken opinions; else, whatsoever is done or said, will be measured by a wrong rule; like them who have jaundice, to whom everything appears yellow.Collection: Love
So, then, the best of the historian is subject to the poet; for whatsoever action or faction, whatsoever counsel, policy, or war-stratagem the historian is bound to recite, that may the poet, if he list, with his imitation make his own, beautifying it both for further teaching and more delighting, as it pleaseth him; having all, from Dante’s Heaven to his Hell, under the authority of his pen.Collection: War
Whatever comes out of despair cannot bear the title of valor, which should be lifted up to such a height that holding all things under itself, it should be able to maintain its greatness, even in the midst of miseries.Collection: Greatness
Anger, the Stoics said, was a short madness.Collection: Madness
The truly valiant dare everything but doing anybody an injury.Collection: Injury
God has appointed us captains of this our bodily fort, which, without treason to that majesty, are never to be delivered over till they are demanded.Collection: Suicide
Solitude, the sly enemy that doth separate a man from well-doing.Collection: Men
There is little hope of equity where rebellion reigns.Collection: Littles
A brave captain is as a root, out of which, as branches, the courage of his soldiers doth spring.Collection: Leadership
When it shall please God to bring thee to man's estate, use great providence and circumspection in choosing thy wife. For from thence will spring all thy future good or evil; and it is an action of life, like unto a stratagem of war; wherein a man can err but once!Collection: Spring
They love indeed who quake to say they love.Collection: Life
Confidence in one's self is the chief nurse of magnanimity, which confidence, notwithstanding, doth not leave the care of necessary furniture for it; and therefore, of all the Grecians, Homer doth ever make Achilles the best armed.Collection: Self