24 William Penn Quotes

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

It is a coal from God's altar must kindle our fire; and without fire, true fire, no acceptable sacrifice.

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.

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.

Force may make hypocrites, but it can never make converts.

If we would amend the world we should mend ourselves; and teach our children to be, not what we are, but what they should be.

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

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.

Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.

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 casteth out fear." And yet we naturally fear most to offend what we most love.

When thou art obliged to speak, be sure to speak the truth; for equivocation is half-way to lying, and lying is the whole way to hell.

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

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

Kings in this should imitate God; their mercy should be above their works.

God is better served in resisting a temptation to evil than in many formal prayers.

If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants.

Justice is the insurance which we have on our lives and property, and obedience is the premium which we pay for it.

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 bad.

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

And yet we are very apt to be full of ourselves, instead of Him that made what we so much value, and but for whom we can have no reason to value ourselves.

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?

Religion is the fear of God, and its demonstration good works; and faith is the root of both: "For without faith we cannot please God;" nor can we fear what we do not believe.

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.

A good end cannot sanctify evil means; nor must we ever do evil, that good may come of it.