Thomas More Quotes
Sir Thomas More was an English Renaissance humanist, lawyer, statesman, and Lord Chancellor of England under Henry VIII. A close friend of Erasmus, he produced the Utopia in 1516, a Latin work whose imaginary island society of communal property and religious toleration inaugurated a new genre of political imagination and named it. The quotes below are attributed to Thomas More, organized by topic.
Thomas More on God
-
Attributed to Thomas More:
“I die the King's good servant, but God's first.”
Thomas More on Happiness
-
Attributed to Thomas More:
“There are several sorts of things which I most desire never to be without: peace, simple food, an open hearth, and the love of friends.”
Thomas More on Mind
-
Attributed to Thomas More:
“If a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.”
Thomas More on Politics
-
Attributed to Thomas More:
“Anyone who campaigns for public office becomes disqualified for holding any.”
Thomas More on Virtue
-
Attributed to Thomas More:
“What you cannot turn to good, you must at least make as little bad as you can.”
-
Attributed to Thomas More:
“A few strong instincts and a few plain rules suffice us.”