Top 160 Philip Sidney Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “Either I will find a way, or I will make one.”

— Philip Sidney

2. “It is not good to wake a sleeping lion.”

— Philip Sidney

3. “Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you.”

— Philip Sidney

4. “They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts.”

— Philip Sidney

5. “Ungratefulness is the very poison of manhood.”

— Philip Sidney

6. “A noble heart, like the sun, showeth its greatest countenance in its lowest estate.”

— Philip Sidney

7. “Nature never set forth the earth in so rich tapestry as divers poets have done; neither with pleasant rivers, fruitful trees, sweet-smelling flowers, nor whatsoever else may make the too-much-loved earth more lovely; her world is brazen, the poets only deliver a golden.”

— Philip Sidney

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

— Philip Sidney

9. “Shallow brooks murmur most, deep and silent slide away.”

— Philip Sidney

10. “In victory, the hero seeks the glory, not the prey.”

— Philip Sidney

11. “Fear is far more painful to cowardice than death to true courage.”

— Philip Sidney

12. “The scourge of life, and death’s extreme disgrace, The smoke of hell, – that monster called Paine.”

— Philip Sidney

13. “Fortify courage with the true rampart of patience.”

— Philip Sidney

14. “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

15. “A churlish courtesy rarely comes but either for gain or falsehood.”

— Philip Sidney

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

— Philip Sidney

17. “The journey of high honor lies not in smooth ways.”

— Philip Sidney

18. “Fear is more pain than is the pain it fears.”

— Philip Sidney

19. “The best legacy I can leave my children is free speech, and the example of using it.”

— Philip Sidney

20. “The only disadvantage of an honest heart is credulity.”

— Philip Sidney

21. “Ring out your bells! Let mourning show be spread! For Love is dead.”

— Philip Sidney

22. “No is no negative in a woman’s mouth.”

— Philip Sidney

23. “There is no man suddenly either excellently good or extremely evil, but grows either as he holds himself up in virtue or lets himself slide to viciousness.”

— Philip Sidney

24. “My true love hath my heart, and I have his.”

— Philip Sidney

25. “Unlawful desires are punished after the effect of enjoying; but impossible desires are punished in the desire itself.”

— Philip Sidney

26. “It is cruelty in war that buyeth conquest.”

— Philip Sidney

27. “I seek no better warrant than my own, conscience.”

— Philip Sidney

28. “Fearfulness, contrary to all other vices, maketh a man think the better of another, the worse of himself.”

— Philip Sidney

29. “Who will adhere to him that abandons himself?”

— Philip Sidney

30. “Alexander received more bravery of mind by the pattern of Achilles, than by hearing the definition of fortitude.”

— Philip Sidney

31. “The first mark of valor is defence.”

— Philip Sidney

32. “Give tribute, but not oblation, to human wisdom.”

— Philip Sidney

33. “Many delight more in giving of presents than in paying their debts.”

— Philip Sidney

34. “Friendship is made fast by interwoven benefits.”

— Philip Sidney

35. “Every base occupation makes one sharp in its practice, and dull in every other.”

— Philip Sidney

36. “To the disgrace of men it is seen that there are women both more wise to judge what evil is expected, and more constant to bear it when it happens.”

— Philip Sidney

37. “There is little hope of equity where rebellion reigns.”

— Philip Sidney

38. “A dull head thinks of no better way to show himself wise, than by suspecting everything in his way.”

— Philip Sidney

39. “It many times falls out that we deem ourselves much deceived in others because we first deceived ourselves.”

— Philip Sidney

40. “Self-love is better than any gilding to make that seem gorgeous wherein ourselves be parties.”

— Philip Sidney

41. “Sweet food of sweetly uttered knowledge.”

— Philip Sidney

42. “With a tale, forsooth, he cometh unto you; with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner.”

— Philip Sidney

43. “Who shoots at the mid-day sun, though he be so sure he shall never hit the mark, yet as sure as he is, he shall shoot higher than he who aims at a bush.”

— Philip Sidney

44. “They love indeed who quake to say they love.”

— Philip Sidney

45. “The day seems long, but night is odious; no sleep, but dreams; no dreams but visions strange.”

— Philip Sidney

46. “High erected thoughts seated in the heart of courtesy.”

— Philip Sidney

47. “Malice, in its false witness, promotes its tale with so cunning a confusion, so mingles truths with falsehoods, surmises with certainties, causes of no moment with matters capital, that the accused can absolutely neither grant nor deny, plead innocen.”

— Philip Sidney

48. “As the love of the heavens makes us heavenly, the love of virtue virtuous, so doth the love of the world make one become worldly.”

— Philip Sidney

49. “A brave captain is as a root, out of which, as branches, the courage of his soldiers doth spring.”

— Philip Sidney

50. “Fear is the underminer of all determinations; and necessity, the victorious rebel of all laws.”

— Philip Sidney