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Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon Quotes

Former Lord Chancellor

Francis Bacon, a renowned philosopher, politician, and writer, served as the Lord Chancellor of England. He is best known for his profound philosophical thoughts and extensive literary works, which have had a lasting impact on the world.

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Famous Francis Bacon Quotes

“For all knowledge and wonder (which is the seed of knowledge) is an impression of pleasure in itself.”

Science Pleasure Wonder Knowledge Epicureanism

Book:The Collected Works of Sir Francis Bacon (Unexpurgated Edition)

Source: The Collected Works of Sir Francis Bacon (Unexpurgated Edition)

“There was a young man in Rome that was very like Augustus Caesar; Augustus took knowledge of it and sent for the man, and asked him "Was your mother never at Rome?" He answered "No Sir; but my father was."”

Men Young Mother Father Knowledge He Man Motherhood Young Man Rome Augustus Augustus Caesar

Book:The works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England

Source: The works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England

“Some men covet knowledge out of a natural curiosity and inquisitive temper; some to entertain the mind with variety and delight; some for ornament and reputation; some for victory and contention; many for lucre and a livelihood; and but few for employing the Divine gift of reason to the use and benefit of mankind.”

Source: The Advancement of Learning

“The images of mens wits and knowledge remain in books. They generate still, and cast their seeds in the minds of others, provoking and causing infinite actions and opinions in succeeding ages”

Mind Stills Book Age Action Christian Opinion Knowledge Succeed Infinite Casts Seeds Christian Inspirational Wit Provoking

Book:Selected Philosophical Works

Source: Selected Philosophical Works

“If you dissemble sometimes your knowledge of that you are thought to know, you shall be thought, another time, to know that you know not.”

Ifs Knows Sometimes Time Knowledge Another Time

Author:Francis Bacon

“There is no great concurrence between learning and wisdom.”

Knowledge Concurrence

Book:The Advancement of Learning

Source: The Advancement of Learning

“For knowledge, too, is itself power.”

Author:Francis Bacon

“Knowledge is a rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator and the relief of man's estate.”

Men Knowledge Rich Glory Creator Relief Estates

Author:Francis Bacon

“Moreover, the works already known are due to chance and experiment rather than to sciences; for the sciences we now possess are merely systems for the nice ordering and setting forth of things already invented; not methods of invention or directions for new works.”

Science Chance Known Knowledge Nice Accounts Method Dues Experiments Invention Setting Settings New Work

Book:The works

Source: The works

“First therefore let us seek the dignity of knowledge in the archetype or first platform, which is in the attributes and acts of God, as far as they are revealed to man and may be observed with sobriety; wherein we may not seek it by the name of Learning; for all Learning is Knowledge acquired, and all Knowledge in God is original: and therefore we must look for it by another name, that of Wisdom or Sapience, as the Scriptures call it.”

Men Firsts Looks May Names Knowledge Dignity Originals Scripture Attributes Platforms Sobriety Archetype

Book:The works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England, in five volumes

Source: The works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England, in five volumes

“The essential form of knowledge... is nothing but a representation of truth: for the truth of being and the truth of knowing are one, differing no more than the direct beam and the beam reflected.”

Form Knowledge Knowing Essentials Direct Representation Beam

Book:The works

Source: The works

“But we are not dedicating or building any Capitol or Pyramid to human Pride, but found a holy temple in the human Intellect, on the model of the Universe... For whatever is worthy of Existence is worthy of Knowledge-which is the Image (or Echo) of Existence.”

Humans Universe Found Existence Knowledge Building Pride Holy Models Worthy Intellect Temples Echoes Pyramids Capitol

Book:Francisci BAconi de Verulamio, ...: Novum organum, sive Indicia vera de interpretatione naturæ

Source: Francisci BAconi de Verulamio, ...: Novum organum, sive Indicia vera de interpretatione naturæ

“My praise shall be dedicated to the mind itself. The mind is the man, and the knowledge is the mind. A man is but what he knoweth. The mind is but an accident to knowledge, for knowledge is the double of that which is.”

Men Mind Knowledge He Man Praise Accidents Dedicated

Book:The Works of Francis Bacon: Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, and Lord High Chancellor of England

Source: The Works of Francis Bacon: Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, and Lord High Chancellor of England

“Lastly, I would address one general admonition to all: that they consider what are the true ends of knowledge, and that they seek it not either for pleasure of the mind, or for contention, or for superiority to others, or for profit, or fame, or power, or any of these inferior things: but for the benefit and use of life; and that they perfect and govern it in charity.”

Mind Ends Use Perfect Pleasure Knowledge Fame Benefits Charity Profit Addresses Inferiors Superiority Contention Admonition

Book:Selected Philosophical Works

Source: Selected Philosophical Works

“The true bounds and limitations, whereby human knowledge is confined and circumscribed,... are three: the first, that we do not so place our felicity in knowledge, as we forget our mortality: the second, that we make application of our knowledge, to give ourselves repose and contentment, and not distates or repining: the third, that we do not presume by the contemplation of Nature to attain to the mysteries of God.”

“Upon a given body to generate and superinduce a new nature or new natures is the work and aim of human power. To discover the Form of a given nature, or its true difference, or its causal nature, or fount of its emanation... this is the work and aim of human knowledge.”

Humans Body Form Given Differences Knowledge Aim Human Knowledge Human Power

Book:The Novum Organon,: Or a True Guide to the Interpretation of Nature

Source: The Novum Organon,: Or a True Guide to the Interpretation of Nature

“It is rightly laid down that 'true knowledge is knowledge by causes'. Also the establishment of four causes is not bad: material, formal, efficient and final.”

Causes Knowledge Four Materials Finals Establishment Efficient Formal True Knowledge

Book:The Novum Organon,: Or a True Guide to the Interpretation of Nature

Source: The Novum Organon,: Or a True Guide to the Interpretation of Nature

“In Philosophy, the contemplations of man do either penetrate unto God, or are circumferred to Nature, or are reflected and reverted upon himself. Out of which several inquiries there do arise three knowledges, Divine Philosophy, Natural Philosophy, and Human Philosophy or Humanity. For all things are marked and stamped with this triple character of the power of God, the difference of Nature and the use of Man.”

Men Humans Philosophy Character Use Humanity Three Natural Differences Knowledge Divine All Things Arise Contemplation Inquiry Penetrate Power Of God Natural Philosophy

Book:Philosophical works

Source: Philosophical works

“But this is that which will dignify and exalt knowledge: if contemplation and action be more nearly and straitly conjoined and united together than they have been: a conjunction like unto that of the highest planets, Saturn, the planet of rest and contemplation, and Jupiter, the planet of civil society and action.”

Ifs Has Beens Action Together United Knowledge Planets Highest Contemplation Civil Society Jupiter Conjunctions Saturn

Book:Bacon's Advancement of Learning and the New Atlantis

Source: Bacon's Advancement of Learning and the New Atlantis

“He that cometh to seek after knowledge, with a mind to scorn, shall be sure to find matter for his humour, but no matter for his instruction.”

Mind Matter Knowledge Humour Instruction Scorn

Book:The works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England, in five volumes

Source: The works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England, in five volumes

“By this means we presume we have established for ever, a true and legitimate marriage between the Empirical and Rational faculty; whose fastidious and unfortunate divorce and separation hath troubled and disordered the whole race and generation of mankind.”

Mean Whole Race Knowledge Generations Mankind Divorce Separation Rational Faculty Unfortunate Fastidious

Author:Francis Bacon

“I work for posterity, these things requiring ages for their accomplishment.”

Age Knowledge Accomplishment Posterity

Book:The Works of Francis Bacon

Source: The Works of Francis Bacon

“A king that would not feel his crown too heavy for him, must wear it every day; but if he think it too light, he knoweth not of what metal it is made.”

Ifs Thinking Feels Made Light Knowledge Kings Heavy Metals Crowns

Book:The works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England, in five volumes

Source: The works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England, in five volumes

“I want to make portraits and images. I don't know how. Out of despair, I just use paint anyway. Suddenly the things you make coagulate and take on just the shape you intend. Totally accurate marks, which are outside representational marks.”

Knows Want Use Knowledge Know How Shapes Despair Mark Paint Accurate Portraits

Author:Francis Bacon

“Knowledge is power.”

Inspirational Knowledge Strength Intelligence Graduation Knowledge Is Power

Book:The Philosophical Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, and Lord High-Chancellor of England: Methodized, and Made English from the Originals, with Occasional Notes, To Explain what is Obscure; and Show how Far the Several PLANS of the AUTHOR, for the Advancement of All the Parts of Knowledge, Have Been Executed to the Present Time

Source: The Philosophical Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, and Lord High-Chancellor of England: Methodized, and Made English from the Originals, with Occasional Notes, To Explain what is Obscure; and Show how Far the Several PLANS of the AUTHOR, for the Advancement of All the Parts of Knowledge, Have Been Executed to the Present Time

“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.”

Ifs Men Inspirational Ends Wisdom Success Certain Business Knowledge Doubt Certainty Advancement Open Mind Doubted Certain Knowledge Doubt And Certainty

Author:Francis Bacon

“The desire of excessive power caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge caused men to fall.”

Men Desire Fall Knowledge Power Angel

Author:Francis Bacon

“Ipsa scientia potestas est. (Knowledge itself is power.)”

Education Knowledge Latin Knowledge And Power

Author:Francis Bacon

“For there is a great difference in delivery of the mathematics , which are the most abstracted of knowledges, and policy , which is the most immersed. And howsoever contention hath been moved , touching a uniformity of method in multiformity of matter, yet we see how that opinion, besides the weakness of it, hath been of ill desert towards learning, as that which taketh the way to reduce learning to certain empty and barren generalities; being but the very husks and shells of sciences, all the kernel being forced out and expulsed with the torture and press of the method.”

“Man, being the servant and interpreter of Nature, can do and understand so much and so much only as he has observed in fact or thought of the course of nature; beyond this he neither knows anything nor can do anything.”

Knows Men Facts Science Courses Can Do Nature Knowledge Observation Servant Interpreter

Book:Selected Philosophical Works

Source: Selected Philosophical Works

“But the greatest error of all the rest is the mistaking or misplacing of the last or farthest end of knowledge: for men have entered into a desire of learning and knowledge, sometimes upon a natural curiosity and inquisitive appetite; sometimes to entertain their minds with variety and delight; sometimes for ornament and reputation; and sometimes to enable them to victory of wit and contradiction; and most times for lucre and profession; and seldom sincerely to give a true account of their gift of reason, to the benefit and use of men.”

Source: The works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England, in five volumes

“Human knowledge and human power meet in one; for where the cause is not known the effect cannot be produced. Nature to be commanded must be obeyed; and that which in contemplation is as the cause is in operation as the rule.”

Knows Humans Science Causes Known Knowledge Effects Operations Contemplation Knowledge Is Power Human Knowledge Human Power

Book:Selected Philosophical Works

Source: Selected Philosophical Works

“I confess that I have as vast contemplative ends, as I have moderate civil ends: for I have taken all knowledge to be my province.”

Knows Ends Science Knowledge Taken Moderates Provinces Contemplative

Book:The Works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England: A New Edition:

Source: The Works of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor of England: A New Edition:

“Never any knowledge was delivered in the same order it was invented.”

Knows Science Order Knowledge

Book:The Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England: In Five Volumes

Source: The Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England: In Five Volumes

“No one has yet been found so firm of mind and purpose as resolutely to compel himself to sweep away all theories and common notions, and to apply the understanding, thus made fair and even, to a fresh examination of particulars. Thus it happens that human knowledge, as we have it, is a mere medley and ill-digested mass, made up of much credulity and much accident, and also of the childish notions which we at first imbibed.”

Mind Firsts Humans Made Happens Science Purpose Found Understanding Common Knowledge Theory Mass Fairs Mere Notion Ill Accidents Firm Examination Credulity Human Knowledge Medley

Book:The Great Instauration

Source: The Great Instauration

“The End of our Foundation is the knowledge of Causes; and secret motions of things; and the enlarging of the bounds of Human Empire, to the effecting of all things possible.”

Knows Humans Ends Science Causes Secret Knowledge All Things Accounts Foundation Bounds Empires

Author:Francis Bacon

“The partitions of knowledge are not like several lines that meet in one angle, and so touch not in a point; but are like branches of a tree, that meet in a stem, which hath a dimension and quantity of entireness and continuance, before it come to discontinue and break itself into arms and boughs.”

Knows Science Lines Knowledge Break Tree Arms Branches Dimensions Quantity Stem Angle Partition Continuance

Book:The Advancement of Learning

Source: The Advancement of Learning