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Quotes by De la Bruyère
Bishop Blougram's Apology. Incivility is not a Vice of the Soul, but the effect of several Vices; of Vanity, Ignorance of Duty, Laziness, Stupidity, Distraction, Contempt of others, and Jealousy.— filed under Character
Great things astonish us, and small dishearten us. Custom makes both familiar.— filed under Custom
Eloquence is to the sublime what the whole is to its part.— filed under Eloquence
Eloquence may be found in conversations and in all kinds of writings; it is rarely found when looked for, and sometimes discovered where it is least expected.— filed under Eloquence
Profane eloquence is transferred from the bar, where Le Maître, Pucelle, and Fourcroy formerly practised it, and where it has become obsolete, to the Pulpit, where it is out of place.— filed under Eloquence
Extremes are faulty and proceed from men: compensation is just, and proceeds from God.— filed under Extremes
One faithful Friend is enough for a man's self; 'tis much to meet with such an one, yet or we can't have too many for the sake of others.— filed under Friends
In Friendship we only see those faults which may be prejudicial to our friends. In love we see no faults but those by which we suffer ourselves.— filed under Friendship
Love and friendship exclude each other.— filed under Friendship
Pure friendship is something which men of an inferior intellect can never taste.— filed under Friendship
Individualism. Intelligence is to genius as the whole is in proportion to its part.— filed under Genius
Next to sound Judgment, Diamonds and Pearls are the rarest things to be met with.— filed under Judgment
We must laugh before we are happy, for we die before we laugh at all. fear we die before we laugh at all.— filed under Laughter
Life is a kind of Sleep: old Men sleep longest, nor begin to wake but when they are to die. C.— filed under Life
Languages are no more than the keys of Sciences. He who despises one, slights the other.— filed under Linguists
Love begins with love. C.— filed under Love
Modesty is to merit, what shade is to figures in a picture; it gives it strength and makes it stand out.— filed under Modesty
Authors. A man of moderate Understanding, thinks he writes divinely: A man of good Understanding, thinks he writes reasonably.— filed under Occupations-Alchemy
A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink, and Paper, and without ever having had a thought of it before, resolves within himself he will write a Book; he has no Talent at Writing, but he wants fifty Guineas. C.— filed under Occupations-Alchemy
The highest reach of a news-writer is an empty Reasoning on Policy, and vain Conjectures on the public Management.— filed under Occupations-Jeweler
The News-writer lies down at Night in great Tranquillity, upon a piece of News which corrupts before Morning, and which he is obliged to throw away as soon as he awakes.— filed under Occupations-Jeweler
Man resolves in himself he will preach; and he preaches. S.— filed under Occupations-Post
'Twas not an Age ago since most of our Books were nothing but Collections of Latin Quotations; there was not above a line or two of French in a Page. и.— filed under Quotation
Sense is the Father.— filed under Sense
Time, which strengthens Friendship, weakens Love.— filed under Time
He must be a dull Fellow indeed, whom neither Love, Malice, nor Necessity, can inspire with Wit.— filed under Wit
L'air spirituel est dans les hommes ce que la régularité des traits est dans les femmes: c'est le genre de beauté où les plus vains puissent aspirer. A look of intelligence in men is what regularity of features is in women: it is a style of beauty to which the most vain may aspire.— filed under Beauty
Les hommes rougissent moins de leurs crimes que de leurs faiblesses et de leur vanité. Men blush less for their crimes than for their weaknesses and vanity.— filed under Blushes
La physionomie n'est pas une règle qui nous soit donnée pour juger des hommes: elle nous peut servir de conjecture. Physiognomy is not a guide that has been given us by which to judge of the character of men: it may only serve us for conjecture.— filed under Character
Les enfants n'ont ni passé ni avenir; et, ce qui ne nous arrive guère, ils jouissent du présent. Children have neither past nor future; and that which seldom happens to us, they rejoice in the present. S.— filed under Childhood
Du même fonds dont on néglige un homme de mérite l'on sait encore admirer un sot. The same principle leads us to neglect a man of merit that induces us to admire a fool.— filed under Comparisons
On ne trompe point en bien; la fourberie ajoute la malice au mensonge. We never deceive for a good purpose; knavery adds malice to falsehood.— filed under Deceit
Vous le croyez votre dupe: s'il feint de l'être, qui est plus dupe, de lui ou de vous? You think him to be your dupe; if he feigns to be so who is the greater dupe, he or you?— filed under Deceit
Le devoir des juges est de rendre justice, leur métier est de la différer; quelques uns savent leur devoir, et font leur métier. A judge's duty is to grant justice, but his practice is to delay it: even those judges who know their duty adhere to the general practice.— filed under Duty
Un fat est celui que les sots croient un homme de mérite. A coxcomb is one whom simpletons believe to be a man of merit.— filed under Folly
Entre esprit et talent il y a la proportion du tout à sa partié. Between genius and talent there is the proportion of the whole to its parts.— filed under Genius
L'impossibilité où je suis de prouver que Dieu n'est pas, me decouvre son existence. The very impossibility in which I find myself to prove that God is not, discloses to me his existence.— filed under God
Lès hommes sont la cause que les femmes ne s'aiment point. Men are the cause of women not loving one another.— filed under Jealousy
La moquerie est souvent une indigence d'esprit. Jesting, often, only proves a want of intellect.— filed under Jesting
J'ai vécu. I have survived. Said by SIÈYES after the Reign of Terror, when asked what he had done. La plupart des hommes emploient la première partie de leur vie à rendre l'autre misérable. Most men employ the first part of life to make the other part miserable.— filed under Life
La faveur des princes n'exclut pas le mérite, et ne le suppose pas aussi. The favor of princes does not preclude the existence of merit, and yet does not prove that it exists.— filed under Merit
L'éloquence est au sublime ce que le tout est à sa partie. Eloquence is to the sublime what the whole is to its part.— filed under Oratory
C'est souvent hasarder un bon mot et vouloir le perdre que de le donner pour sien. A good saying often runs the risk of being thrown away when quoted as the speaker's own.— filed under Quotation
La cour est comme un édifice bâti de marbre; je veux dire qu'elle est composée d'hommes fort durs mais fort polis. The court is like a palace built of marble; I mean that it is made up of very hard but very polished people.— filed under Royalty
L'on confie son secret dans l'amitié, mais il échappe dans l'amour. We trust our secrets to our friends, but they escape from us in love.— filed under Secrecy
Toute révélation d'un secret est la faute de celui qui l'a confié. When a secret is revealed, it is the fault of the man who confided it.— filed under Secrecy
Entre le bon sens et le bon goût il y a la différence de la cause à son effet. Between good sense and good taste there is the difference between cause and effect.— filed under Sense
La société est partagée en deux classes: les tondeurs et les tondus. Il faut toujours être avec les premiers contre les seconds. Society is divided into two classes: the shearers and the shorn. We should always be with the former against the latter. h. TALLEYRAND. Le sage quelquefois évite le monde de peur d'être ennuyé. The wise man sometimes flees from society from fear of being bored.— filed under Society
Il n'y a au monde que deux manières de s'élever, ou par sa propre industrie, ou par l'imbécilité des autres. There are but two ways of rising in the world: either by one's own industry or profiting by the foolishness of others.— filed under Success
Le contraire des bruits qui courent des affaires ou des personnes est souvent la vérité. The opposite of what is noised about concerning men and things is often the truth. C.— filed under Truth
L'on craint la vieillesse, que l'on n'est pas sûr de pouvoir atteindre. We dread old age, which we are not sure of being able to attain.— filed under Modern Foreign Languages
L'on espère de vieillir, et l'on craint la vieillesse; c'est-à-dire, l'on aime la vie et l'on fuit la mort. We hope to grow old and we dread old age; that is to say, we love life and we flee from death.— filed under Modern Foreign Languages
Après l'esprit de discernement, ce qu'il y a au monde de plus rare, ce sont les diamants et les perles. The rarest things in the world, next to a spirit of discernment, are diamonds and pearls.— filed under Discernment
Le commencement et le déclin de l'amour se font sentir par l'embarras où l'on est de se trouver seuls. The beginning and the end of love are both marked by embarrassment when the two find themselves alone.— filed under Antoine De Salle