Leonardo da Vinci

Ask advice of him who governs himself well.

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment. Go some distance away, because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.

Happy is the estate that is seen by the eye of its lord.

He who does not punish evil commends it to be done.

He who possesses most is afraid to lose.

He who walks straight rarely falls.

Justice requires power, insight, and will.

Neither promise yourself things nor do thingsif you see that when deprived of them they will cause you material suffering.

Patience protects from insult as clothes protect from the cold.

Reprove a friend in secret but praise him before others.

To the ambitious, whom neither the boon of life, nor the beauty of the world suffice to content, it comes as penance that life withthem is squandered, and that they possess neither the benefits nor the beauty of the world.

You can have neither a greater nor a lesser dominion than that over yourself.

Profile / Biography

Leonardo da Vinci was born in Anchiano, Tuscany, in April 1452. In his early teens, his family moved to Florence, where Leonardo was apprenticed to a noted painter, Andrea de Verrocchio. Leonardo eventually became a master artisan in his own right at twenty six years of age.

Leonardo da Vinci was what is now characterized as a "Renaissance Man". He did not restrict himself only to painting; he was also an architect and inventor. He drew up plans for a helicopter, a calculator, and advanced the level of knowledge in the fields of anatomy and astronomy. Unfortunately, few of his inventions were constructed, due to a lack of knowledge in engineering and metallurgy at the time.

Leonardo is known mainly for his painting, particularly of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Many of the artworks he was contracted to produce were never completed, due to civil unrest in Italy at the time. This unrest led Leonardo to move from Florence to Mantua, then on to Venice and Rome.

During his travels, Leonardo fell under the patronage of Cesare Borgia, the Duke of Milan. Cesare prized him for his inventions, and his problem solving abilities when working out ways of getting around (or through) enemy fortifications.

Later in life, Leonardo found a patron in Frances I of France, who valued his knowledge, education and artistic skills. France became Leonardo’s home, and was where he eventually died in May 1519.