Alfred the Great

King Alfred the Great (c. 844-899)

"A man cannot work on any enterprise without resources. In the case of the king, the resources and tools with which to rule are that he have his land fully manned: he must have praying men, fighting men and working men."

• From Alfred the Great's loose and expanded translation of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, translated to modern English by Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge (Penguin Classics, 2004).

Check out other Alfred the Great quotes, HERE.


Take a look at other British quotes, HERE.

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King Alfred the Great

King Alfred the Great (King of Wessex, r. 871-899, and leader of the Anglo-Saxon world during the late 9th-century Viking invasions of Britain)

"Wisdom, humility, caution, moderation, justice, mercy, discretion, constancy, benevolence, chastity and temperance. With these anchors you should fix in God the cable so that it will hold the ship of your mind."

• From Alfred the Great's loose and expanded Old English translation of St. Augustine's Soliloquies, translated to modern English by Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge (Penguin Classics, 2004).

Take a look at other British quotes, HERE.

Check out more medieval quotes, HERE.

Return to the quote pictures home page, HERE.