Philip Sidney Quotes

Like the air-invested heron, great persons should conduct themselves; and the higher they be, the less they should show.

O sweet woods, the delight of solitariness!

It is against womanhood to be forward in their own wishes.

All is but lip-wisdom which wants experience.

Remember always, that man is a creature whose reason is often darkened with error.

Self-love is better than any gilding to make that seem gorgeous wherein ourselves be parties.

The poet, he nothing affirmeth, and therefore never lieth.

Laws are not made like lime-twigs or nets, to catch everything that toucheth them; but rather like sea-marks, to guide from shipwreck the ignorant passenger.

A noble cause doth ease much a grievous case.

Music, I say, the most divine striker of the senses ...

Gold can gild a rotten stick, and dirt sully an ingot.

A true knight is fuller of bravery in the midst, than in the beginning of danger.

Think I none so simple would say that Aesop lied in the tales of his beasts: for who thinks that Aesop writ it for actually true were well worthy to have his name chronicled among the beasts he writeth of.

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.

What is birth to a man if it shall be a stain to his dead ancestors to have left such an offspring?

He travels safe and not unpleasantly who is guarded by poverty and guided by love.

Contentions for trifles can get but a trifling victory.

Much more may a judge overweigh himself in cruelty than in clemency.

For as much as to understand and to be mighty are great qualities, the higher that they be, they are so much the less to be esteemed if goodness also abound not in the possessor.

The lightsome countenance of a friend giveth such an inward decking to the house where it lodgeth, as proudest palaces have cause to envy the gilding.

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.

A popular license is indeed the many-headed tyrant.

Sin is the mother, and shame the daughter of lewdness.

As the fertilest ground, must be manured, so must the highest flying wit have a Daedalus to guide him.

Friendship is made fast by interwoven benefits.

Lovely sweetness is the noblest power of woman, and is far fitter to prevail by parley than by battle.

Commonly they must use their feet for defense whose only weapon is their tongue.

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.

Leave me, O Love, which reachest but to dust,
And thou, my mind, aspire to higher things!
Grow rich in that which never taketh rust:
Whatever fades, but fading pleasure brings.
Draw in thy beams, and humble all thy might
To that sweet yoke where lasting freedoms be;
Which breaks the clouds, and opens forth the light,
That doth both shine, and give us sight to see.

Anger, the Stoics said, was a short madness.

High honor is not only gotten and born by pain and danger, but must be nursed by the like, else it vanisheth as soon as it appears to the world.

To know, and by knowledge to lift up the mind from the dungeon of the body to the enjoying his own divine essence

What is mine, even to my life, is hers I love; but the secret of my friend is not mine!

Truth is the ground of science, the centre wherein all things repose, and is the type of eternity.

There is a certain delicacy which in yielding conquers; and with a pitiful look makes one find cause to crave help one's self.

The glory and increase of wisdom stands in exercising it.

Weigh not so much what men assert, as what they prove. Truth is simple and naked, and needs not invention to apparel her comeliness.

Some are unwisely liberal, and more delight to give presents than to pay debts.

Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess?
Do they call virtue there ungratefulness?

The general goodness, which is nourished in noble hearts makes every one think that strength of virtue to be in another whereof they find assured foundation in themselves.

Desire, desire! I have too dearly bought,
With price of mangled mind, thy worthless ware.

The heavens do not send good haps in handfuls; but let us pick out our good by little, and with care, from out much bad, that still our little world may know its king.

In the performance of a good action, we not only benefit ourselves, but we confer a blessing upon others.

Fear is the underminer of all determinations; and necessity, the victorious rebel of all laws.

Shallow brooks murmur most, deep and silent slide away.

There is no dearth of charity in the world in giving, but there is comparatively little exercised in thinking and speaking.

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.

There have been many most excellent poets that have never versified, and now swarm many versifiers that need never answer to the name of poets.

Fortify courage with the true rampart of patience.

Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.

Often extraordinary excellence, not being rightly conceived, does rather offend than please.

Whether your time calls you to live or die, do both like a prince.

It is cruelty in war that buyeth conquest.

To be ambitious of true honor and of the real glory and perfection of our nature is the very principle and incentive of virtue; but to be ambitious of titles, place, ceremonial respects, and civil pageantry, is as vain and little as the things are which we court

The best legacy I can leave my children is free speech, and the example of using it.

Men are almost always cruel in their neighbors' faults; and make others' overthrow the badge of their own ill-masked virtue.

The highest point outward things can bring unto, is the contentment of the mind; with which no estate can be poor, without which all estates will be miserable.

Yet sighes, deare sighes, indeeds true friends you are
That do not leave your left friend at the wurst,
But, as you with my breast, I oft have nurst
So, gratefull now, you waite upon my care.

Great is not great to the greater.

To the disgrace of men it is seen that there are women both more wise to judge what evil is expected, and more constant to bear it when it happens.

Woman was formed to admire; man to be admirable. His are the glories of the sun at noonday; hers the softened splendors of the midnight moon.

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.

Malice, in its false witness, promotes its tale with so cunning a confusion, so mingles truths with falsehoods, surmises with certainties, causes of no moment with matters capital, that the accused can absolutely neither grant nor deny, plead innocen.

We become willing servants to the good by the bonds their virtues lay upon us.

Liking is not always the child of beauty; but whatsoever is liked, to the liker is beautiful.

You will never live to my age without you keep yourselves in breath with exercise, and in heart with joyfulness.

O you virtuous owle,
The wise Minerva's only fowle.

They love indeed who quake to say they love.

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.

It is great happiness to be praised of them who are most praiseworthy.

In shame there is no comfort but to be beyond all bounds of shame.

There is nothing sooner overthrows a weak head than opinion by authority, like too strong a liquor for a frail glass.

As the love of the heavens makes us heavenly, the love of virtue virtuous, so doth the love of the world make one become worldly.

It many times falls out that we deem ourselves much deceived in others because we first deceived ourselves.

It depends on education
that holder of the keys which the Almighty hath put into our hands
to open the gates which lead to virtue or to vice, to happiness or misery.

Take thou of me, sweet pillowes, sweetest bed; A chamber deafe of noise, and blind of light, A rosie garland and a weary hed.

Since bodily strength is but a servant to the mind, it were very barbarous and preposterous that force should be made judge over reason.

The only disadvantage of an honest heart is credulity.

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.

The first mark of valor is defence.

It is a lively spark of nobleness to descend in most favour to one when he is lowest in affliction

Many delight more in giving of presents than in paying their debts.

There is little hope of equity where rebellion reigns.

They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts.

Stella, the only planet of my light,
Light of my life, and life of my desire,
Chief good, whereto my hope doth only aspire,
World of my wealth, and heav'n of my delight:
Why dost thou spend the treasure of thy sprite,
With voice more fit to wed Amphion's lyre,
Seeking to quench in me the noble fire
Fed by thy worth, and kindled by thy sight?
And all in vain, for while thy breath most sweet,
With choicest words, thy words with reasons rare,
Thy reasons firmly set on Virtue's feet,
Labor to kill in me this killing care:
Oh, think I then, what paradise of joy
It is, so fair a Virtue to enjoy.

For the uttering sweetly and properly the conceit of the mind, English hath it equally with any other tongue in the world.

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.

Philosophy deals in the abstract and the universal, but not in the particular. History deals only in the particular, not with general principles. Poetry deals with both, illustrating universal principles with particular examples or embodiments of those principles:
Now doth the peerless poet perform both: for whatsoever the philosopher saith should be done, he giveth a perfect picture of it in someone by whom he presupposeth it was done; so as he coupleth the general notion with the particular example.
Another advantage poetry has over philosophy is greater clarity:
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. But the poet is the food for the tenderest stomachs, the poet is indeed the right popular philosopher.
Essentially, poetry shows history more brilliantly than history, and explains philosophy more cogently than philosophy.

A noble heart, like the sun, showeth its greatest countenance in its lowest estate.

The ingredients of health and long life, are great temperance, open air, easy labor, and little care.

Fearfulness, contrary to all other vices, maketh a man think the better of another, the worse of himself.

Who will be taught, if he be not moved with desire to be taught?

In the clear mind of virtue treason can find no hiding-place.

O that we had, to make our woes more public,
Seas in our eyes, and brazen tongues by nature,
A yelling voice, and hearts composed of sorrow,
Breath made of flames, wits knowing naught but damage,
Our sports murd'ring ourselves, our musics wailing,
Our studies fixed upon the falls of fortune.

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.

Alexander received more bravery of mind by the pattern of Achilles, than by hearing the definition of fortitude.

Nature never set forth the earth in so rich tapestry as divers poets have done; neither with pleasant rivers, fruitful trees, sweet-smelling flowers, nor whatsoever else may make the too-much-loved earth more lovely; her world is brazen, the poets only deliver a golden.

The journey of high honor lies not in smooth ways.

Approved valor is made precious by natural courtesy.

Fool," said my muse to me. "Look in thy heart and write.