"He that hath a wife and children hath given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief."

"Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; and adversity is not without comforts and hopes."

"The mind of man is far from the nature of a clear and equal glass, wherein the beams of things should reflect according to their true incidence; nay, it is rather like an enchanted glass, full of supe…"

"Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend."

"The mind of man is far from a clear and even mirror, but is rather like an enchanted glass, full of superstitions and impostures."