Jean de La Bruyère quotes - page 3

A man in health questions whether there is a God, and he also doubts whether it be a sin to have intercourse with a woman, who is at liberty to refuse; but when he falls ill, or when his mistress is with child, she is discarded, and he believes in God. (Jean de La Bruyère)
We come too late to say anything which has not been said already. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
Some men speak one moment before they think; others tediously study everything they say, and in conversation bore us as painfully as was the travail of their mind; they are, as it were, made up of phrases and quaint expressions, whilst their gestures are as affected as their behaviour. They call themselves "purists," and do not venture to say the most trifling word not in use, however expressive it may be. Nothing comes from them worth remembering, nothing is spontaneous and unrestrained; they speak correctly, but they are very tiresome. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
There are a great many obscene minds, yet more railing and satirical, but very few fastidious ones. A man must have good manners, be very polite, and even have a great deal of originality to be able to jest gracefully and be felicitous in his remarks about trifles; to jest in such a manner and to make something out of nothing is to create. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
If it be true that in showing pity and compassion we think of ourselves, because we fear to be one day or another in the same circumstances as those unfortunate people for whom we feel, why are the latter so sparingly relieved by us of their condition? View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
Horace or Boileau have said such a thing before you.”-”I take your word for it, but I have used it as my own. May I not have the same correct thought after them, as others may have after me? View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
There is, however, nothing wanting to the idleness of a philosopher but a better name, and that meditation, conversation, and reading should be called "work.”. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
Let us not envy a certain class of men for their enormous riches; they have paid such an equivalent for them that it would not suit us; they have given for them their peace of mind, their health, their honour, and their conscience; this is rather too dear, and there is nothing to be made out of such a bargain. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
A wise man is cured of ambition by ambition itself; his aim is so exalted that riches, office, fortune, and favor cannot satisfy him. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
All kinds of music are not suited to praise God and to be heard in the sanctuary; all methods of philosophy are not fit for discoursing worthily of God, His power, the principles of His operations, and His mysteries. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
If it is true that one is poor on account of all the things one wants, the ambitious and the avaricious languish in extreme poverty. (Jean de La Bruyère)
Grief that is dazed and speechless is out of fashion: the modern woman mourns her husband loudly and tells you the whole story of his death, which distresses her so much that she forgets not the slightest detail about it. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
Lofty posts make great men greater still, and small men much smaller. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
This great misfortune - to be incapable of solitude. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
There is not in the world so toilsome a trade as the pursuit of fame; life concludes before you have so much as sketched your work. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
The slave has but one master, the ambitious man has as many as there are persons whose aid may contribute to the advancement of his fortunes. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
The court is like a palace of marble; it's composed of people very hard and very polished. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
A man can keep another's secret better than his own. A woman her own better than others. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
The first day one is a guest, the second a burden, and the third a pest. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
Logic is the technique by which we add conviction to truth. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
A slave has but one master; an ambitious man has as many masters as there are people who may be useful in bettering his position. (Jean de La Bruyère)
A position of eminence makes a great person greater and a small person less. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
All men's misfortunes spring from their hatred of being alone. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
A vain man finds it wise to speak good or ill of himself; a modest man does not talk of himself. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère
It's motive alone which gives character to the actions of men. View quote
Jean de La Bruyère