Francis Bacon quotes

Quotes by Francis Bacon

1. Learning & education

   “Knowledge is power.”

   – Francis Bacon, Meditationes Sacrae (1597)

   Meaning: The more you know, the more you are able to do and the more control you have over your life.

2. Friendship

   “This communicating of a man's self to his friend works two contrary effects; for it redoubleth joys, and cutteth griefs in halves.”

   – Francis Bacon, "Of Friendship", Essays (1625)

   Meaning: Sharing your life with a friend has two opposite effects: good news feels twice as good, and sad news hurts half as much.

   contrary

   – opposite

   redoubleth

   – an old form of "doubles"

   cutteth griefs in halves

   – cuts sadness in half

3. Reading & books

   “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”

   – Francis Bacon, "Of Studies", Essays (1625)

   Meaning: Different books need different kinds of reading: some you only sample, some you read quickly, and a few you should read slowly and think about deeply.

   digested

   – (of food) broken down by the body; (of ideas) fully understood