Jean de La Bruyère Quotes

«Тот, кто любит так сильно, что хотел бы любить в тысячу раз сильнее, всё же любит меньше, нежели тот, кто любит сильнее, чем сам того хотел бы.»

Жан де Лабрюйер «Характеры или нравы нынешнего века»

To laugh at men of sense is the privilege of fools.

What can be more discouraging to a man than to doubt if his soul be material, like a stone or a reptile, and subject to corruption like the vilest creatures ? And does it not prove much more strength of mind and grandeur to be able to conceive the idea of a Being superior to all other beings, by whom and for whom all things were made; of a Being absolutely perfect and pure, without beginning or end, of whom our soul is the image, and of whom, if I may say so, it is a part, because it is spiritual and immortal?

It is fortunate to be of high birth, but it is no less so to be of such character that people do not care to know whether you are or are not.

Vouloir oublier quelqu'un , c'est y penser

“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?”

Avoid lawsuits beyond all things; they pervert your conscience, impair your health and dissipate your property.

The very essence of politeness is to take care that by our words and actions we make other people pleased with us as well as with themselves.

Une froideur ou une incivilité qui vient de ceux qui sont au-dessus de nous nous les fait haïr, mais un salut ou un sourire nous les réconcilie.

Time, which strengthens friendship, weakens love.

Чем больше милостей женщина дарит мужчине, тем сильнее она его любит и тем меньше любит он её.

S'il est heureux d'avoir de la naissance, il ne l'est pas moins d'être tel qu'on ne s'informe plus si vous en avez.

The same common-sense which makes an author write good things, makes him dread they are not good enough to deserve reading.

That we seldom repent of talking too little and very often of talking too much is a … maxim that everybody knows and nobody practices

Menippus is a bird decked in various feathers which are not his. He neither says nor feels anything, but repeats the feelings and sayings of others; it is so natural for him to make use of other people’s minds that he is the first deceived by it, and often believes he speaks his own mind or expresses his own thoughts when he is but the echo of some man he just parted with.