Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield Quotes

The young leading the young, is like the blind leading the blind; “they will both fall into the ditch.”

You foolish man, you do not understand your own foolish business.

A proper secrecy is the only mystery of able men; mystery is the only secrecy of weak and cunning ones.

I foresee, that before the end of this century, the trade of both King and Priest will not be half so good a one as it has been.

Sacrifice to the Graces.

The nation looked upon him as a deserter, and he shrunk into insignificancy and an earldom.

I wish to God that you had as much pleasure in following my advice, as I have in giving it to you.

The reputation of generosity is to be purchased pretty cheap; it does not depend so much upon a man’s general expense, as it does upon his giving handsomely where it is proper to give at all. A man, for instance, who should give a servant four shillings, would pass for covetous, while he who gave him a crown, would be reckoned generous; so that the difference of those two opposite characters, turns upon one shilling.

Little minds mistake little objects for great ones, and lavish away upon the former that time and attention which only the latter deserve. To such mistakes we owe the numerous and frivolous tribe of insect-mongers, shell-mongers, and pursuers and driers of butterflies, etc. The strong mind distinguishes, not only between the useful and the useless, but likewise between the useful and the curious.

I knew once a very covetous, sordid fellow, who used to say, "Take care of the pence, for the pounds will take care of themselves."

Dispatch is the soul of business.

Every woman is infallibly to be gained by every sort of flattery, and every man by one sort or other.

There is time enough for everything, in the course of the day, if you do but one thing at once; but there is not time enough in the year, if you will do two things at a time.

There are some occasions in which a man must tell half his secret, in order to conceal the rest; but there is seldom one in which a man should tell all. Great skill is necessary to know how far to go, and where to stop.

Let blockheads read what blockheads wrote.