Francisco Quevedo Quotes

All sinners have less turpitude than the hypocrite, for the former, though they sin against God, do not sin with God or in God, whilst the hypocrite sins against God and also with God, since he takes Him as an instrument of his sin.

The king is a public person, the needs of the realm are his crown. Reigning is not an amusement but a task. A bad king is he who enjoys his State, a good one he who serves it.

You must not trust ministers who are very proud of having clean hands [...]. Thieves there are who rob with their feet, with their mouths, with their ears, with their eyes.

El Mundo por de Dentro

Since I teach how to kill I may well claim to be called Galen; and if my wounds were to ride on mule back they would pass for bad doctors.

In fact the world is all agreed and calls commodity honour; so that men need only proclaim that they are honourable with- out being so to mock at the world.

It is most unfortunate that the king should err at all: but if he must err, it is less shocking that he should do so on his own account, rather than by the advice of others.

For every judge we sow, we gather six attorneys, two draftsmen, four notaries, five barristers, and five thousand negotiators, and the crop comes every day.

There are some men who lie even when telling the truth, for they tell it with their lips whilst they lie in their hearts.

El Sueno de las Calaveras

Happy is he who is born to be a king, if, when he reigns, he shows he deserves to be one.

In dangers, the king who looks on orders with his eyes.

Women only want a man to grant; for of course they always ask.

El Alguazil Alguacilado

Many more people fall ill through bores than through pestilence; and chatterers and meddlers kill many more than doctors.