FrancisBacon
Studiesservefordelight, forornament, , isinprivatenessandretiring; forornament, isindiscourse; andforability, isinthejudgmentanddispositionofbusiness.
Forexpertmencanexecute, andperhapsjudgeofparticulars, onebyone; butthegeneralcounsels, andtheplotsandmarshallingofaffairs, comebestformthosethatarelearned.
Tospendtoomuchtimeinstudiesissloth; tousethemtoomuchforornament, isaffectation; tomakejudgmentwhollybytheirrules, isthehumorofascholar.
Theyperfectnature, andareperfectedbyexperience: fornaturalabilitiesarelikenaturalplants, thatneedpruningbystudy; andstudiesthemselvesdogiveforthdirectionstoomuchatlarge, excepttheybeboundedinbyexperience.
Craftymencontemnstudies, simplemenadmirethem, andwisemenusethem; fortheyteachnottheirownuse; butthatisawisdomwithoutthem, andabovethem, wonbyobservation.
Readnottocontradictandconfute; nortobelieveandtakeforgranted; nortofindtalkanddiscourse; buttoweighandconsider.
Somebooksaretobetasted, otherstobeswallowed, andsomefewtobechewedanddigested; thatis, somebooksaretobereadonlyinparts; otherstoberead, butnotcuriously; andsomefewtobereadwholly, andwithdiligenceandattention.
Somebooksalsomaybereadbydeputy, andextractsmadeofthembyothers; butthatwouldbeonlyinthelessimportantarguments, andthemeanersortofbooks; elsedistilledbooksare, likecommondistilledwaters, flashythings.
