“ how can a man comprehend great matters, that breaketh his mind too much, to small observations? ”
Francis Bacon, The Essays of Francis Bacon (1597). copy citation
Author | Francis Bacon |
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Source | The Essays of Francis Bacon |
Topic | observation mind |
Date | 1597 |
Language | English |
Reference | |
Note | |
Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/575/575-h/575-h.htm |
Context
“and let him trust himself with the rest. For if he labor too much to express them, he shall lose their grace; which is to be natural and unaffected. Some men's behavior is like a verse, wherein every syllable is measured; how can a man comprehend great matters, that breaketh his mind too much, to small observations? Not to use ceremonies at all, is to teach others not to use them again; and so diminisheth respect to himself; especially they be not to be omitted, to strangers and formal natures; but the dwelling upon them, and exalting them above the moon, is not only tedious, but doth diminish the faith and credit of him that speaks.”
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