Top 85 Quotes & Sayings by John Selden - Page 2

When men comfort themselves with philosophy, 'tis not because they have got two or three sentences, but because they have digested those sentences, and made them their own: philosophy is nothing but discretion.

You will want a book which contains not man's thoughts, but God's - not a book that may amuse you, but a book that can save you - not even a book that can instruct you, but a book on which you can venture an eternity - not only a book which can give relief to your spirit, but redemption to your soul - a book which contains salvation, and conveys it to you, one which shall at once be the Saviour's book and the sinner's.

Preachers say, "Do as I say, not as I do." But if a physician had the same disease upon him that I have, and he should bid me do one thing and he do quite another, could I believe him?

Fine wits destroy themselves with their own plots, in meddling with great affairs of state.

Nothing is text but what is spoken of in the Bible and meant there for person and place; the rest is application; which a discreet man may do well; but it is his scripture, not the Holy Ghost's. First, in your sermons use your logic, and then your rhetoric; rhetoric without logic is like a tree with leaves and blossoms, but no root.

Preaching, in the first sense of the word, ceased as soon as ever the gospel was written.

Religion is like the fashion, one man wears his doublet slashed, another lashed, another plain; but every man has a doublet; so every man has a religion. We differ about the trimming.

Opinion is something wherein I go about to give reasons why all the world should think as I think.

The law against witches does not prove there be any; but it punishes the malice of those people that use such means to take away men's lives.

Every law is a contract between the king and the people and therefore to be kept.

Money makes a man laugh.

Wit and wisdom differ; wit is upon the sudden turn, wisdom is bringing about ends.

Women ought not to know their own wit, because they will still be showing it, and so spoil it.

They that are against Superstition oftentimes run into it of the wrong side. If I will wear all colours but black, then am I superstitious in not wearing black.

We look after religion as the butcher did after his knife, when he had it in his mouth.

He that hath a scrupulous conscience is like a horse that is not well weighed; he starts at every bird that flies out of the hedge.

Ceremony keeps up things: 'tis like a penny glass to a rich spirit, or some excellent water; without it the water were spilt, and the spirit lost.

Equity is a roguish thing. For Law we have a measure, know what to trust to; Equity is according to the conscience of him that is Chancellor, and as that is larger or narrower, so is Equity. 'T is all one as if they should make the standard for the measure we call a "foot" a Chancellor's foot; what an uncertain measure would this be! One Chancellor has a long foot, another a short foot, a third an indifferent foot. 'T is the same thing in the Chancellor's conscience.

In a troubled state we must do as in foul weather upon a river, not think to cut directly through, for the boat may be filled with water; but rise and fall as the waves do, and give way as much as we conveniently can.

Gentelmen heve ever been more temperate in their religion than common people, as having more reason.

Prayer should be short, without giving God Almighty reasons why He should grant this or that; He knows best wheat is good for us. If your boy should ask you for a suit of clothes and give you reasons, would you endure it? You know his needs better than he; let him ask for a suit of clothes.

Casting out devils is mere juggling; they never cast out any but what they first cast in.

Take a straw and throw it up into the air, you may see by that which way the wind is.

A gallant man is above ill words.

Scrutamini scripturas (Let us look at the scriptures). These two words have undone the world.