Molière Quotes

Aris. Certainly, your prudence is excessively rare. Are you not ashamed of your want of firmness? and is it possible for a man to be so weak as to leave his wife absolute power, and not dare to attack what she has resolved upon? Ch. Good Heavens! brother, you speak very easily of it, but you do not know how noise troubles me. I am very fond of rest, peace, and tranquillity, and my wife is terrible in her tempers.

Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.

ELMIRE. But they affright us so with Heaven's commands! TARTUFFE. I can dispel these foolish fears, dear madam; I know the art of pacifying scruples Heaven forbids, 'tis true, some satisfactions; But we find means to make things right with Heaven.

There are things in life which one cannot well defend, although one may have the greatest wish to do so.

Géronte
Monsieur, c'est là sa maladie. Elle est devenue muette, sans que jusques ici on en ait pu savoir la cause : et c'est un accident qui a fait reculer son mariage.
Sganarelle
Et pourquoi ?
Géronte
Celui qu'elle doit épouser veut attendre sa guérison pour conclure les choses.
Sganarelle
Et qui est ce sot-là, qui ne veut pas que sa femme soit muette ? Plût à Dieu que la mienne eût cette maladie ! je me garderais bien de la vouloir guérir.

Mais la grande marque d'amour, c'est d'être soumis aux volontés de celle qu'on aime.

DORINE. By my faith, With such a fine broad back, good Mr. Loyal, A little beating would become you well. MR. LOYAL. My girl, such infamous words are actionable. And warrants can be issued against women.

I marvel at your power to be mistaken.

We die only once, and for such a long time!

Anyone may be an honorable man, and yet write verse badly.

It is seasoned throughout with Attic salt.

In your face, my brother, she is laughing at you.

Si c'est votre façon d'aimer, je vous prie de me haïr.

THE SCHOOL FOR Wives criticised was first brought out at the theatre of the Palais Royal, on the 1st of June, 1663. It can scarcely be called a play, for it is entirely destitute of action. It is simply a reported conversation of “friends in council; but we cannot be surprised that it had a temporary success on the stage. It was acted as a pendant to The School for Wives, and the two were played together, with much profit to the company, thirty-two consecutive times. Molière, in the Preface to The School for Wives, mentions that the idea of writing The School for Wives criticised was suggested to him by a person of quality, who, it is said, was the Abbé Dubuisson, the grand introducteur des ruelles or, in other words, the Master of the Ceremonies to the Précieuses. Our author had also just been inscribed on the list of pensions which Louis XIV. allowed to eminent literary men, for a sum of a thousand livres.

Le scandale du monde est ce qui fait l'offense, Et ce n'est pas pécher que pécher en silence.