“Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood.”
More from William Penn on Wisdom
“All Excess is ill: But Drunkenness is of the worst Sort.”
“The wisdom of nations lies in their proverbs which are brief and pithy.”
“He that does good for good's sake seeks neither praise nor reward though sure of both at last.”
“The jealous are troublesome to others but torment to themselves.”
“Not to be provoked is best but if moved never correct till the fume is spent for every stroke our fury strikes is sure to hit ourselves at last.”
“The smaller the drink the clearer the head and the cooler the blood.”
“Avoid popularity; it has many snares, and no real benefit.”
“Humility and knowledge in poor clothes excel pride and ignorance in costly attire.”
“Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man.”
“Only trust thyself, and another shall not betray thee.”
Others on Wisdom
Sun Tzu
30 quotes“A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to...”
Dalai Lama
22 quotes“A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.”
Cervantes
20 quotes“Honesty's the best policy.”
Aesop
19 quotes“Do not waste your pity on a scamp.”
Confucius
19 quotes“If a man take no thought about what is distant he will find sorrow near at hand.”
Ben Franklin
18 quotes“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”
Napoleon
16 quotes“One must change one's tactics every ten years if one wishes to maintain one's superiority.”
Cicero
15 quotes“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
George R.R. Martin
14 quotes“A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good. Each should have its own reward.”
Rudyard Kipling
14 quotes“One paid for one's knowledge with one's skin.”
Sir Winston Churchill
14 quotes“...anger is a waste of energy. Steam which is used to blow off a safety valve would be better used to drive an engine.”
George Washington
14 quotes“I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy.”