“Of all wild beasts preserve me from a tyrant; and of all tame, a flatterer.”

— Ben Jonson, Sejanus (1603), Act I

About Ben Jonson

1572 – 1637

English playwright and poet, author of "Volpone".

“Thou art but gone before, whither the world must follow.”

“Art hath an enemy call'd ignorance.”

“Calumnies are answered best with silence.”

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”