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Quotes by S. la Rochefoucauld
J. Jealousy is said to be the offspring of Love. Yet, unless the parent makes haste to strangle the child, the child will not rest till it has poisoned the parent. J. C. and A. W. HARE-Guesses at Truth. In jealousy there is more self-love than love.— filed under Jealousy
We always love those who admire us, and we do not always love those whom we admire.— filed under Admiration
In the adversity of our best friends we often find something which does not displease us. S.— filed under Adversity
We give advice, but we do not inspire conduct.— filed under Advice
Few people know how to be old.— filed under Affliction
Marquis of Montrose, the Earl of Rothes. Some people resemble ballads which are only sung for a certain time. S.— filed under Ballads
Breakfast Table. I. Too great refinement is false delicacy, and true delicacy is solid refinement.— filed under Comparisons
Coquetry is the essential characteristic, and the prevalent humor of women; but they do not all practise it, because the coquetry of some is restrained by fear or by reason.— filed under Coquetry
It is a species of coquetry to make a parade of never practising it.— filed under Coquetry
The greatest miracle of love is the cure of coquetry.— filed under Corruption
Women know not the whole of their co quetry.— filed under Corruption
On ne peut répondre de son courage quand on n'a jamais été dans le péril. We can never be certain of our courage until we have faced danger.— filed under Courage
L'hypocrisie est un hommage que le vice rend à la vertu. Hypocrisy is the homage which vice renders to virtue.— filed under Deceit
Quelque éclatante que soit une action, elle ne doit pas passer pour grande, lorsqu'elle n'est pas l'effet d'un grand dessein. However resplendent an action may be, it should not be accounted great unless it is the result of a great design.— filed under Deeds
There is as much eloquence in the tone of voice, in the eyes, and in the air of a speaker as in his choice of words.— filed under Eloquence
True eloquence consists in saying all that is necessary, and nothing but what is necessary.— filed under Eloquence
Gallantry of mind consists in saying flattering things in an agreeable manner.— filed under Flattery
On croit quelquefois haïr la flatterie; mais on ne hait que la manière de flatter. We sometimes think that we hate flattery, but we only hate the manner in which it is done.— filed under Flattery
IV. 1. Qui vit sans folie n'est pas si sage qu'il croit. He who lives without committing any folly is not so wise as he thinks.— filed under Folly
Un sot n'a pas assez d'étoffe pour être bon. A fool has not material enough to be good.— filed under Folly
La fortune ne paraît jamais si aveugle qu' a ceux à qui elle ne fait pas de bien. Fortune never seems so blind as to those upon whom she confers no favors. S.— filed under Fortune
Il n'appartient qu'aux grands hommes d'avoir de grands défauts. It is the prerogative of great men only to have great defects.— filed under Greatness
On n'est jamais si heureux, ni si malheureux, qu'on se l'imagine. We are never so happy, nor so unhappy, as we suppose ourselves to be.— filed under Happiness
Breakfast-Table. XI. Preserving the health by too strict a regimen is a wearisome malady.— filed under Hearing
Westminster Abbey. There are heroes in evil as well as in good.— filed under History
L' espérance, toute trompeuse qu'elle est, sert au moins à nous mener à la fin de la vie par un chemin agréable. Hope, deceitful as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of life along an agreeable road.— filed under Hope
On est quelquefois un sot avec de l'esprit; mais on ne l'est jamais avec du jugement. We sometimes see a fool possessed of talent, but never of judgment.— filed under Judgment
L'amour de la justice n'est, en la plupart des hommes, que la crainte de souffrir l'injustice. The love of justice is, in most men, nothing more than the fear of suffering injustice.— filed under Justice
L'accent du pays où l'on est né demeure dans l'esprit et dans le cœur comme dans le langage. The accent of one's country dwells in the mind and in the heart as much as in the language.— filed under Language
The more we love a mistress, the nearer we are to hating her.— filed under Love
The pleasure of love is in loving. We are happier in the passion we feel than in what we excite.— filed under Love
Ce qui fait que les amants et les maitresses ne s'ennuient point d'être ensemble; c'est qu'ils parlent toujours d'eux mêmes. The reason why lovers and their mistress.. es never tire of being together is that they are always talking of themselves.— filed under Love
Il est plus aisé de connaître l'homme en général que de connaître un homme en particulier. It is easier to know mankind in general than man individually.— filed under Man
'Tis but a little faded flower, But oh, how fondly dear! 'Twill bring me back one golden hour, Through many a weary year. ELLEN C. HOWARTH' Tis but a Little Faded Flower. Where is the heart that doth not keep, Within its inmost core, Some fond remembrance hidden deep, Of days that are no more? ELLEN C. HOWARTH' Tis but a Little Faded Flower. Badness of memory every one complains of, but nobody of the want of judgment.— filed under Memory
Il y a du mérite sans élévation mais il n'y a point d'élévation sans quelque mérite. There is merit without elevation, but there is no elevation without some merit.— filed under Merit
Le mérite des hommes a sa saison aussi bien que les fruits. There is a season for man's merit as well as for fruit.— filed under Merit
Le monde récompense plus souvent les apparences de mérite que le mérite même. The world rewards the appearance of merit oftener than merit itself.— filed under Merit
La gravité est un mystère du corps inventé pour cacher les défauts de l'esprit. Gravity is a mystery of the body invented to conceal the defects of the mind.— filed under Mind
also BISHOP HALL-Christian Moderation. Introduction. The moderation of fortunate people comes from the calm which good fortune gives to their tempers.— filed under Moderation
Washington Allston. The only good copies are those which exhibit the defects of bad originals.— filed under Occupations-Navigation
School Declamation. The passions are the only orators that always persuade: they are, as it were, a natural art, the rules of which are infallible; and the simplest man with passion is more persuasive than the most eloquent without it.— filed under Oratory
Vanities. If we resist our passions it is more from their weakness than from our strength.— filed under Passion
L'absence diminue les médiocres passions et augmente les grandes, comme le vent éteint les bougies et allume le feu. Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire.— filed under Passion
Toutes les passions ne sont autre chose que les divers degrés de la chaleur et de la froideur du sang. All the passions are nothing else than different degrees of heat and cold of the blood.— filed under Passion
Bryant's trans. A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice.— filed under Praise
Weakness of mind is the only fault inca hh.— filed under Proverbs
We are never so happy, or so unhappy, as we imagine.— filed under Proverbs
The head is always the dupe of the heart.— filed under Iii
Men are more satirical from vanity than from malice.— filed under Scandal
How can we expect another to keep our secret if we cannot keep it ourselves.— filed under Secrecy
a Gentleman. Self-love is the greatest of all flatterers.— filed under Self-Love
It is never so difficult to speak as when we are ashamed of our silence.— filed under Speech
La confiance que l'on a en soi fait naître la plus grande partie de celle que l'on a aux autres. The confidence which we have in ourselves gives birth to much of that which we have in others.— filed under Trust
La vérité ne fait pas tant de bien dans le monde, que ses apparences y font de mal. Truth does not do so much good in the world, as the appearance of it does evil.— filed under Truth
Ce qui nous rend la vanité des autres insupportable, c'est qu'elle blesse la nôtre. That which makes the vanity of others unbearable to us is that which wounds our own.— filed under Vanity
Il est difficile d'estimer quelqu'un comme il veut l'être. It is difficult to esteem a man as highly as he would wish. f. LXVII. On parle peu quand la vanité ne fait pas parler. We say little if not egged on by vanity.— filed under Vanity
We do not despise all those who have vices, but we despise all those who have not a single virtue.— filed under Vice
Il est plus aisé d'être sage pour les autres, que pour soi-même. It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.— filed under Wisdom
Johnson. 1754. A man does not please long when he has only one species of wit.— filed under Wit
A small degree of wit, accompanied by good sense, is less tiresome in the long run than a great amount of wit without it.— filed under Wit
Il est plus facile de paraître digne des em plois qu'on n'a pas que de ceux que l'on exerce. It is easier to appear worthy of a position one does not hold, than of the office which one fills.— filed under Worth
A. AGE (OLD). En vieillissant, on devient plus fou et plus sage. When men grow old, they become more foolish and more wise.— filed under Modern Foreign Languages
La vieillesse est un tyran qui défend, sur peine de la vie, tous les plaisirs de la jeunesse. Old age is a tyrant who forbids, upon pain of death, all the pleasures of youth.— filed under Modern Foreign Languages
Peu de gens savent être vieux. Few persons know how to be old.— filed under Modern Foreign Languages
On n'est jamais si ridicule par les qualités que l'on a que par celles que l'on affecte d'avoir. The qualities we have do not make us so ridiculous as those which we affect to have. C.— filed under Bonaparte
C'est une grande habileté que de savoir cacher son habileté. To know how to hide one's ability is great skill.— filed under Cleverness
On peut être plus fin qu'un autre, mais non pas plus fin que tous les autres. We can be more clever than one, but not more clever than all.— filed under Cleverness