Francis Bacon Quotes

The measure of every man’s virtue is best revealed in time of adversity - adversity that does not weaken a man but rather shows what he is.

Virtue's a stronger guard than brass.

A virtue to be serviceable must, like gold, be alloyed with some commoner, but more durable alloy.

Calamity is the test of integrity.

Prosperity tries the fortunate, adversity the great.

Not gold, but only man can make a people great and strong; men who, for truth and honor's sake, stand fast and suffer long.

Content thyself to be obscurely good. When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway, the post of honoris a private station.

It was a high speech of Seneca that "The good things which belong to prosperity are to be wished, but the good things that belong to adversity are to be admired."

Virtue is like precious odours,-most fragrant when they are incensed or crushed.

Virtue is the roughest way, but proves at night a bed of down.

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.

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities - because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

People confuse goodness with weakness. It is weak people, not good people (goodness demands strength), who are taken advantage of.

Even in decline, a virtuous man increases the beauty of his behavior. A burning stick, though turned to the ground, has its flame drawn upwards.

Moral courage is higher and a rarer virtue than physical courage.

Some virtues are only seen in affliction and others only in prosperity.

Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity a greater.

He knows not his own strength who hath not met adversity.

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.

Prosperity is a more refined and severer test of character than adversity as one hour of summer sunshine produces greater corruption than the longest winter day.

We do not despise all those who have vices, but we do despise those that have no virtue.

The virtue of prosperity is temperance; the virtue of adversity is fortitude.