The First Viscount, St. Albans, Francis Bacon wrote many works that live on through the ages for their clarity and truth.

The quote, ” …the inquiry, knowledge, and belief of truth is the sovereign good of human nature”, from the essay “Of Truth” is engraved just above the statue “Philosophy” in the Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C  An excellent discussion of the relevancy of Bacon’s essays may be read here.

http://www.bartleby.com/214/1620.html

Bacon’s essay, Of Truth, itself may be read in its entirety here:

http://www.bartleby.com/3/1/1.html

Or, if you prefer may be heard as an audiobook excerpt here: