“Wherefore governments rather depend upon men, than men upon governments.”

— William Penn, Frame of Government (1682)

About William Penn

1644 – 1718

English Quaker and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, author of "Some Fruits of Solitude".

“Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains.”

“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.”

“Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it.”

“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.”