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  ... Certainly the great multiplication of virtues upon human nature, resteth upon socie- ties well ordained and disciplined. For common- wealths, and good governments, do nourish virtue grown but do not much mend the deeds. But the misery is, that the most effectual means, are now applied to the ends, least to be desired.
Of Fortune
IT CANNOT be denied, but outward accidents conduce much to fortune; favor, opportunity, death of others, occasion fitting virtue. But chiefly, The mould of a man's fortune is in his own hands.   Faber quisque fortunae suae, saith the poet. And the most frequent of external causes is, that the folly of one man, is the fortune of another. For no man prospers so suddenly, as by others' errors. Serpens nisi serpentem comederit non fit draco. Overt and apparent virtues, bring forth praise; but there be secret and hidden virtues, that bring forth fortune; certain deliveries of a man's self, which have no name. The Spanish name, desemboltura, partly expresseth them; when there be...   Bacon, Francis

Excerpt from Essays of Francis Bacon · This quote is about responsibility · Search on Google Books to find all references and sources for this quotation.

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