William Penn famous quotes

The secret of happiness is to count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles.
-- William Penn

#Blessing #Secret #Count Your Blessings

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.
-- William Penn

#Time #Want #Use

Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.
-- William Penn

#Peace #War #Integrity

A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.
-- William Penn

#Friendship #True Friend #Adventure

A good End cannot sanctify evil Means; nor must we ever do Evil, that Good may come of it.
-- William Penn

#Mean #Evil #May

In marriage do thou be wise: prefer the person before money, virtue before beauty, the mind before the body; then thou hast a wife, a friend, a companion, a second self.
-- William Penn

#Marriage #Wise #Wedding

No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.
-- William Penn

#Inspirational #Life #Motivational

The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves.
-- William Penn

#Inspirational #Jealousy #Envy

In all debates, let truth be thy aim, not victory, or an unjust interest.
-- William Penn

#Victory #Unjust #Debate

Patience and Diligence, like faith, remove mountains.
-- William Penn

#Patience #Mountain #Diligence

They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies.
-- William Penn

#Sympathy #Death #Love Is

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.
-- William Penn

#Inspirational #Life #Motivational

Justice is the insurance which we have on our lives and property. Obedience is the premium which we pay for it.
-- William Penn

#Life #Law #Justice

If thou thinkest twice before thou speakest once, thou wilt speak twice the better for it.
-- William Penn

#Speak #Human Nature

If you protect a man from folly, you will soon have a nation of fools.
-- William Penn

#Men #Libertarian #Fool

It were happy if we studied nature more in natural things; and acted according to nature, whose rules are few, plain, and most reasonable.
-- William Penn

#Nature #Natural

O Lord, help me not to despise or oppose what I do not understand.
-- William Penn

#Tolerance #Understanding #Helping

Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man.
-- William Penn

#Wise #Men #Treasure

Love grows. Lust wastes by Enjoyment, and the Reason is, that one springs from an Union of Souls, and the other from an Union of Sense.
-- William Penn

#Spring #Soul #Lust

Death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still.
-- William Penn

#Death #Sea #Dying

No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.
-- William Penn

#Military #Men #Fit

If thou wouldst rule well, thou must rule for God, and to do that, thou must be ruled by him... Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.
-- William Penn

#Independent #Tyrants #Gods Will

They have a right to censure that have a heart to help.
-- William Penn

#Heart #Helping #Blame

The country life is to be preferred, for there we see the works of God; but in cities little else but the works of men. And the one makes a better subject for contemplation than the other.
-- William Penn

#Country #Men #Cities

Between a Man and his Wife nothing ought to rule but Love. Believe nothing against another but on good authority; and never report what may hurt another, unless it be a greater hurt to some other to conceal it.
-- William Penn

#Hurt #Believe #Love Is

In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals, step home within yourselves and be still. Wait upon God, and feel His good presence; this will carry you evenly through your day's business.
-- William Penn

#Prayer #Home #Waiting

People are more afraid of the laws of Man than of God, because their punishment seems to be nearest.
-- William Penn

#Men #Punishment #Law

For though Death be a dark passage, it leads to immortality, and that is recompence enough for suffering of it.
-- William Penn

#Death #Dark #Suffering

Men are generally more careful of the breed of their horses and dogs than of their children.
-- William Penn

#Dog #Horse #Children

Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders than the arguments of its opposers.
-- William Penn

#Truth #Freedom #Suffering

True godliness does not turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it.
-- William Penn

#Men #World #Doe

He that does good for good's sake seeks neither paradise nor reward, but he is sure of both in the end.
-- William Penn

#Paradise #Rewards #Sake

Let the people think they govern and they will be governed.
-- William Penn

#Thinking #People #Cynical

Avoid popularity; it has many snares, and no real benefit.
-- William Penn

#Real #Benefits #Recognition

True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.
-- William Penn

#Easter #Health #Sleep

Much reading is an oppression of the mind, and extinguishes the natural candle, which is the reason of so many senseless scholars in the world.
-- William Penn

#Book #Reading #Mind

Love is the hardest lesson in Christianity; but, for that reason, it should be most our care to learn it.
-- William Penn

#Love Is #Lessons #Care

Humility and knowledge in poor clothes excel pride and ignorance in costly attire.
-- William Penn

#Ignorance #Humility #Pride

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.
-- William Penn

#Sympathy #Death #Time

Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants.
-- William Penn

#God #Men #Tyrants

He who is taught to live upon little owes more to his father's wisdom than he who has a great deal left him does to his father's care.
-- William Penn

#Family #Fathers Day #Wisdom

Let us see what love can do.
-- William Penn

Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.
-- William Penn

#Charity #Philanthropy #Thee

The adventure of the Christian life begins when we dare to do what we would never tackle without Christ.
-- William Penn

#Christian #Adventure #Dare

For as men in battle are continually in the way of shot, so we, in this world, are ever within the reach of Temptation.
-- William Penn

#Men #Temptation #Battle

Passion is a sort of fever in the mind, which ever leaves us weaker than it found us.
-- William Penn

#Passion #Mind #Fever

The truest end of life is to know the life that never ends.
-- William Penn

#Death #Life Is #End Of Life

There can be no friendship where there is no freedom. Friendship loves a free air, and will not be fenced up in straight and narrow enclosures.
-- William Penn

#Friendship #Air #Friendship Love

The humble, meek, merciful, and just are everywhere of one religion; and when death has taken off the mask they will know one another, though the diverse liveries they wear here make them strangers.
-- William Penn

#Taken #Humility #Humble

Rarely promise, but, if lawful, constantly perform.
-- William Penn

#Wisdom #Promise

Children, Fear God; that is to say, have an holy awe upon your minds to avoid that which is evil, and a strict care to embrace and do that which is good.
-- William Penn

#Children #Evil #Mind

If we would mend the World, we should mend Ourselves; and teach our Children to be, not what we are, but what they should be.
-- William Penn

#Family #Children #World

Every stroke our fury strikes is sure to hit ourselves at last.
-- William Penn

#Anger #Lasts #Strikes

That plenty should produce either covetousness or prodigality is a perversion of providence; and yet the generality of men are the worse for their riches.
-- William Penn

#Men #Riches #Produce

'Tis no sin to be tempted, but to be overcome.
-- William Penn

#Temptation #Overcoming #Sin

Friendship is the union of spirits...
-- William Penn

#Friendship #Unions #Spirit

If thy debtor be honest and capable, thou hast thy money again, if not with increase, with praise; if he prove insolvent, don't ruin him to get that which it will not ruin thee to lose, for thou art but a steward.
-- William Penn

#Death #Art #Ruins

Wherefore, brethren, let us be careful neither to out-go our guide, nor yet loiter behind him; since he that makes haste, may miss his way, and he that stays behind, lose his guide.
-- William Penn

#Missing #May #Way

It is not only a troublesome but slavish to be nice [fastidious].
-- William Penn

#Nice #Being Nice

Peace can only be secured by justice; never by force of arms.
-- William Penn

#Justice #Arms #Force

Sense shines with double lustre when set in humility.
-- William Penn

#Humility #Shining

Death then, being the way and condition of life, we cannot love to live if we cannot bear to die.
-- William Penn

#Life And Death #Bears #Way

Religion is nothing else but love of God and man.
-- William Penn

#Men #Religion #God Love

To be furious in religion is to be irreligiously religious.
-- William Penn

#Religious #Religion #Furious

Neither great nor good things were ever attained without loss and hardships. Those that would reap and not labour, must faint with the wind, and perish in disappointments; but an hair of my head shall not fall, without the providence of my Father that is over all.
-- William Penn

#Disappointment #Father #Fall

Love labor: for if thou dost not want it for food, thou mayest for physic. It is wholesome for thy body and good for thy mind.
-- William Penn

#Work #Mind #Want

A private Life is to be preferrd; the Honour and Gain of publick Posts, bearing no proportion with the Comfort of it.
-- William Penn

#Gains #Comfort #Life Is

If we are but sure the end is right, we are too apt to gallop over all bounds to compass it; not considering the lawful ends may be very unlawfully attained.
-- William Penn

#Compassion #May #Ends

The public must and will be served.
-- William Penn

For nothing reaches the heart but what is from the heart, or pierces the conscience but what comes from a living conscience
-- William Penn

#Heart #Conscience

[Tho]ugh death be a dark passage; it leads to immortality, and that is recompense enough for suffering of it. And yet faith lights us, even through the grave....And this is the comfort of the good, and the grave cannot hold them, and they live as they die. For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.
-- William Penn

#Death #Dark #Light

I shall pass through life but once. Let me show kindness now, as I shall not pass this way again.
-- William Penn

#Life #Kindness #Way

It is a cruel folly to offer up to ostentation so many lives of creatures, as to make up the state of our treats.
-- William Penn

#Life #Treats #States

We have a call to do good, as often as we have the power and occasion.
-- William Penn

#Occasions

I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do ... let me do it now.
-- William Penn

#World #This World #Let Me

To be innocent is to be not guilty; but to be virtuous is to overcome our evil inclinations.
-- William Penn

#Evil #Overcoming #Guilty

My prison shall be my grave before I will budge a jot; for I owe my conscience to no mortal man.
-- William Penn

#Men #Prison #Graves

Many able Gardeners and Husbandmen are yet Ignorant of the Reason of their Calling; as most Artificers are of the Reason of their own Rules that govern their excellent Workmanship. But a Naturalist and Mechanick of this sort is Master of the Reason of both, and might be of the Practice too, if his Industry kept pace with his Speculation; which were every commendable; and without which he cannot be said to be a complete Naturalist or Mechanick.
-- William Penn

#Practice #Ignorant #Pace

Method goes far to prevent trouble in business: for it makes the task easy, hinders confusion, saves abundance of time, and instructs those that have business depending, both what to do and what to hope.
-- William Penn

#Business #Confusion #Tasks

Choose a friend as thou dost a wife, till death separate you.
-- William Penn

#Friends #Wife

Anything less than full justice is cruelty.
-- William Penn

#Law #Justice #Cruelty

The best recreation is to do good.
-- William Penn

#Philanthropy #Recreation

The way, like the cross, is spiritual: that is an inward submission of the soul to the will of God, as it is manifested by the light of Christ in the consciences of men, though it be contrary to their own inclinations.
-- William Penn

#Spiritual #Men #Light

Men not living to what they know, cannot blame God, that they know no more.
-- William Penn

#Men #Blame #Quaker

By liberty of conscience, we understand not only a mere liberty of the mind, in believing or disbelieving this or that principle or doctrine; but the exercise of ourselves in a visible way of worship, upon our believing it to be indispensably required at our hands, that if we neglect it for fear of favor of any mortal man, we sin and incur divine wrath.
-- William Penn

#Believe #Exercise #Men

That which the people called Quakers lay down as a main fundamental in religion is this- That God, through Christ, hath placed a principle in every man, to inform him of his duty, and to enable him to do it; and that those that live up to this principle are the people of God, and those that live in disobedience to it, are not God's people, whatever name they may bear, or profession they may make of religion. This is their ancient, first, and standing testimony: with this they began, and this they bore, and do bear to the world.
-- William Penn

#Men #Names #People

Covetousness is the greatest of monsters, as well as the root of all evil.
-- William Penn

#Roots #Evil #Monsters

The wisdom of nations lies in their proverbs, which are brief and pithy. Collect and learn them; they are notable measures of directions for human life; you have much in little; they save time in speaking; and upon occasion may be the fullest and safest answer.
-- William Penn

#Lying #May #Littles

Nor yet be overeager in pursuit of any thing; for the mercurial too often happen to leave judgment behind them, and sometimes make work for repentance.
-- William Penn

#Work #Sometimes #Judgment

Levity of behavior, always a weakness, is far more unbecoming in a woman than a man.
-- William Penn

#Men #Weakness #Behavior

There is a truth and beauty in rhetoric; but it oftener serves ill turns than good ones.
-- William Penn

#Truth And Beauty #Rhetoric #Ill

To have religion upon authority, and not upon conviction, is like a finger-watch, to be set forwards or backwards, as he pleases that has it in keeping.
-- William Penn

#Religion #Watches #Authority

Be sure that religion cannot be right that a man is the worse for having.
-- William Penn

#Men #Religion

We are too careless of posterity; not considering that as they are, so the next generation will be.
-- William Penn

#Generations #Next #Careless

Show is not substance; realities govern wise men.
-- William Penn

#Wise #Reality #Men

False-dealing travels a short road, and surely detected.
-- William Penn

#Falsity

The only fountain in the wilderness of life, where man drinks of water totally unmixed with bitterness, is that which gushes for him in the calm and shady recess of domestic life.
-- William Penn

#Men #Water #Bitterness

What man in his right mind would conspire his own hurt? Men are beside themselves when they transgress against their convictions.
-- William Penn

#Hurt #Men #Mind

Is it reasonable to take it ill, that anybody desires of us that which is their own? All we have is the Almighty's; and shall not God have his own when he calls for it?
-- William Penn

#Desire #Almighty #Resignation

I have sometimes thought that people are, in a sort, happy, that nothing can put out of countenance with themselves, though they neither have nor merit other people's.
-- William Penn

#People #Merit #Sometimes