Nicolas Chamfort Quotes

Most books today seemed to have been written overnight from books read the day before.

It is commonly supposed that the art of pleasing is a wonderful aid in the pursuit of fortune; but the art of being bored is infinitely more successful.

Il avait, par grandeur d'âme, fait quelques pas vers la fortune, et par grandeur d'âme il la méprisa.

Every day I add to the list of things I refuse to discuss. The wiser the man, the longer the list.

On se fâche souvent contre les Gens de Lettres qui se retirent du monde. On veut qu'ils prennent intérêt à la Société dont ils ne tirent presque point d'avantage. On veut les forcer d'assister éternellement aux tirages d'une loterie où ils n'ont point de billet.

Sometimes when a person sees the roguery of poor people and the thievery of people in high positions, he is tempted to regard society as a forest full of robbers, the most dangerous of which are the policemen that are set up to stop the others.

Few people are prepared to use their reason without fear or favor, or bold enough to apply it relentlessly to every moral, political and social issue: to kings and ministers, to men in high places, to the philosophers, to absolutely every scientific and artistic principle. And if we don't, we're doomed to remain mediocre.

Il y a plus de fous que de sages, et dans le sage même, il y a plus de folie que de sagesse.

L'homme, dans l'état actuel de la société, me paraît plus corrompu par sa raison que par ses passions. Ses passions (j'entendes ici celles qui appartiennent à l'homme primitif) ont conservé, dans l'ordre social, le peu de nature qu'on y retrouve encore.

With every moon it is as though you're getting closer to your soul
And then you go alone and with no fear
Then you will know
That it was like this before we had to go
And you will find that you were blind
Until you saw these lights glowing in your nights.

You are beautiful and you are alone.

Les nouveaux amis que nous faisons après un certain âge, et par lesquels nous cherchons à remplacer ceux que nous avons perdus, sont à nos anciens amis ce que les yeux de verre, les dents postiches et les jambes de bois sont aux véritables yeux, aux dents naturelles et aux jambes de chair et d'os.

بهتر است انسان‌ها را همانطور ک هستند بپذیریم، ن اینکه تصویر غیرواقعی از آنچه نیستند بسازیم.

A devout and naïve Christian was admonishing those who questioned the articles of faith. “A true Christian must never examine the things he's told to believe, gentlemen,” he said. “It's like taking a pill: if you chew it, it's so bitter you'll never get it down.”

Public opinion reigns in society because stupidity reigns amongst the stupid.