Men of noble birth are noted to be envious towards new men when they rise. For the distance is altered, and it is like a deceit of the eye, that when others come on they think themselves go back.

For many parts of Nature can neither be invented with sufficient subtlety, nor demonstrated with sufficient perspicuity, nor accommodated unto use with sufficient dexterity, without the aid and intervening of the mathematics, of which sort are perspective, music, astronomy, cosmography, architecture, engineery, and divers others.

We are much beholden to Machiavel and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do.

Houses are built to live in, and not to look on: therefore let use be preferred before uniformity.

I loathe my own face, and I've done self-portraits because I've had nobody else to do.

Studies serve for delight, for ornaments, and for ability.

It was prettily devised of Aesop, The fly sat on the axle tree of the chariot wheel and said, what dust do I raise!