Philip Sidney Quotes

If you have so earth-creeping a mind that it cannot lift itself up to look to the sky of poetry... thus much curse I must send you, in the behalf of all poets, that while you live, you live in love, and never get favour for lacking skill of a sonnet; and, when you die, your memory die from the earth for want of an epitaph.

- Philip Sidney

A true knight is fuller of bravery in the midst, than in the beginning of danger.

- Philip Sidney

Poesy must not be drawn by the ears: it must be gently led, or rather, it must lead, which was partly the cause that made the ancient learned affirm it was a divine, and no human skill, since all other knowledges lie ready for any that have strength of wit; a poet no industry can make, if his own genius be not carried into it.

- Philip Sidney

Our erected wit maketh us to know what perfection is.

- Philip Sidney

Plato found fault that the poets of his time filled the world with wrong opinions of the gods, making light tales of that unspotted essence, and therefore would not have the youth depraved with such opinions.

- Philip Sidney

The only disadvantage of an honest heart is credulity.

- Philip Sidney

It is great happiness to be praised of them who are most praiseworthy.

- Philip Sidney

It is the nature of the strong heart, that like the palm tree it strives ever upwards when it is most burdened.

- Philip Sidney

The ingredients of health and long life, are great temperance, open air, easy labor, and little care.

- Philip Sidney

The poet nothing affirmeth and therefore never lieth.

- Philip Sidney

Indeed, the Roman laws allowed no person to be carried to the wars but he that was in the soldiers' roll.

- Philip Sidney

For conclusion, I say the philosopher teacheth, but he teacheth obscurely, so as the learned only can understand him; that is to say, he teacheth them that are already taught.

- Philip Sidney

Either I will find a way, or I will make one.

- Philip Sidney