William Penn Men Quotations

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.

Passion is the mob of the man, that commits a riot upon his reason.

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

Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man.

The tallest Trees are most in the Power of the Winds, and Ambitious Men of the Blasts of Fortune.

To be a man's own fool is bad enough, but the vain man is everybody's.

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

Drunkenness, spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans the man.

Man, being made reasonable, and so a thinking creature, there is nothing more worthy of his being than the right direction and employment of his thoughts; since upon this depends both his usefulness to the public, and his own present and future benefit in all respects.

If men be good, government cannot be bad.

A man in business must put up many affronts if he loves his own quiet.

All excess is ill, but drunkenness is of the worst sort. It spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans men. It reveals secrets, is quarrelsome, lascivious, impudent, dangerous and mad. In fine, he that is drunk is not a man: because he is so long void of Reason, that distinguishes a Man from a Beast.

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.

Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them, and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore governments rather depend upon men, than men upon governments. Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it. But if men be bad, let the government be never so good, they will endeavour to warp and spoil it to their turn.

[I]t is impossible that any people of government should ever prosper, where men render not unto God, that which is God's, as well as to Caesar, that which is Caesar's.

True Godliness doesn't turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it, and excites their endeavors to mend it. ...We have nothing that we can call our own; no, not our selves: for we are all but Tenants, and at Will, too, of the great Lord of our selves, and the rest of this great farm, the World that we live upon.

It would go a long way to caution and direct people in their use of the world that they would better studied and known in the creation of it. For how could man find the confidence to abuse it, while they should see the Great Creator stare them in the face, in all and every part thereof?

Religion itself is nothing else but Love to God and Man. He that lives in Love lives in God, says the Beloved Disciple: And to be sure a Man can live no where better.

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

If thou wouldst conquer thy weakness, thou must never gratify it. No man is compelled to evil: his consent only makes it his. It is no sin to be tempted, but to be overcome.

It is certain that the most natural and human government is that of consent, for that binds freely, ... when men hold their liberty by true obedience to rules of their own making.

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.

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.

Men being born with a title to perfect freedom and uncontrolled enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of the law of nature... no one can be put out of his estate and subjected to the political view of another, without his consent.

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.

A vain man is a nauseous creature: he is so full of himself that he has no room for anything else, be it never so good or deserving.

Interest has the security, though not the virtue of a principle. As the world goes, it is the surest side; for men daily leave both relations and religion to follow it.

Cunning to wise, is as an Ape to a Man.

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

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.

It is the amends of a short and troublesome life, that doing good and suffering ill entitles man to a longer and better.

Show is not substance; realities govern wise men.

Nothing shows our weakness more than to be so sharp-sighted at spying other men's faults, and so purblind about our own.

Tis the glory of a man to vail to truth; as it is the mark of a good nature to be easily entreated.

There is a troublesome humor some men have, that if they may not lead, they will not follow; but had rather a thing were never done, than not done their own way, tho' other ways very desirable.

A jealous man only sees his own spectrum when he looks upon other men, and gives his character in theirs.

A man, like a watch, is to be valued for his manner of going.

Some men do as much begrudge others a good name, as they want one themselves: and perhaps that is the reason of it.

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.

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

Religion is nothing else but love of God and man.

If a civil word or two will render a man happy, he must be a wretch indeed who will not tell them to him.

He that has more Knowledge than Judgment, is made for another Man's use more than his own.

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

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

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

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

Did we believe a final Reckoning and Judgment; or did we think enough of what we do believe, we would allow more Love in Religion than we do; since Religion it self is nothing else but Love to God and Man. Love is indeed Heaven upon Earth; since Heaven above would not be Heaven without it: For where there is not Love; there is Fear: But perfect Love casts out Fear. Love is above all; and when it prevails in us all, we shall all be Lovely, and in Love with God and one with another.

No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.

If it be an evil to judge rashly or untruly any single man, how much a greater sin it is to condemn a whole people.