Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, that all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, that all novelty is but oblivion.
Francis BaconRead
Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Hope is essential to start the day, but relying on it without action is insufficient later on.
This quote by Francis Bacon highlights the importance of hope as a motivating force to begin our endeavors each day. However, it warns that while hope can inspire us at breakfast—representing new beginnings—it must be complemented by action and pragmatism by the end of the day, suggesting that without effort, hope alone cannot sustain us through challenges.
Themes
HopeActionBeginningEffortPragmatism
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing dreams, you might say, 'As Francis Bacon once noted, hope is a good breakfast, but remember to take action by supper.'
More from Francis Bacon
All quotes →Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
Francis BaconRead
Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.
Francis BaconRead
Great art is always a way of concentrating, reinventing what is called fact, what we know of our existence- a reconcentration… tearing away the veils, the attitudes people acquire of their time and earlier time. Really good artists tear down those veils
Francis BaconRead
Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
Francis BaconRead
Knowledge and human power are synonymous.
Francis BaconRead
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Of old the expert in battle would first make himself invincible and then wait for his enemy to expose his vulnerability.
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