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“Certainly, it is heaven upon earth, to have a man's mind move in charity, rest in providence, and turn upon the poles of truth.”
Bacon joins truth with charity and steadiness, presenting intellectual honesty as part of a well-ordered mind rather than a weapon for pride.
Source note: Of Truth; Bacon closes the essay by linking truth with charity, providence, and a stable mind.
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“truth, in morals, has ever appeared to me the essence of the sublime; and, in taste, simplicity the only criterion of the beautiful.”
Wollstonecraft makes moral truth and aesthetic simplicity standards of seriousness, rejecting ornate politeness when it conceals what a writer actually believes.
Source note: A Vindication of the Rights of Men, opening letter to Edmund Burke, second edition (1790); this sentence follows Wollstonecraft’s refusal to disguise her sentiments behind courtly politeness.
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“Lie not one to another.”
The short instruction makes honesty a basic requirement of life with other people.
Source note: Colossians 3:9 in the King James Version; the opening command is quoted here.
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“Lying rides upon Debt’s back.”
Voice: Authorial persona / framed maxim · Poor Richard maxim, repeated through Father Abraham
The compact maxim warns that unpaid obligations can create incentives for evasion, delay, or false promises when payment becomes difficult.
Source note: The Way to Wealth, debt-and-credit section; Project Gutenberg #43855. The line immediately reinforces Franklin’s warning about debt and truthfulness.
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“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”
Voice: Fictional character · Mariana
The line values trustworthy character above possessions or reputation inherited after death.
Source note: All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 3, Scene 5; the line occurs in dialogue that values honest character above material inheritance.
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“In all you speak, let truth and candor shine.”
Pope treats candor as part of good judgment: accurate criticism should also be spoken with integrity and fairness.
Source note: An Essay on Criticism, in the section describing the moral duties of a critic.