Jean de La Bruyère Quotes

There are no ugly women there are only women who do not know how to look pretty.
Jean de La Bruyère
A man often runs the risk of throwing away a witticism if he admits that it is his own.
Jean de La Bruyère
Children have neither a past nor a future. Thus they enjoy the present which seldom happens to us.
Jean de La Bruyère
There are but two ways of rising in the world: either by one's own industry or profiting by the foolishness of others.
Jean de La Bruyère
There is no business in the world so troublesome as the pursuit of fame: life is over before you have hardly begun your work.
Jean de La Bruyère
It is a great misfortune neither to have enough wit to talk well nor enough judgment to be silent.
Jean de La Bruyère
It is a great misfortune neither to have enough wit to talk well nor enough judgement to be silent.
Jean de La Bruyère
We must laugh before we are happy for fear of dying without having laughed at all.
Jean de La Bruyère
There are certain people who so ardently and passionately desire a thing that from dread of losing it they leave nothing undone to make them lose it.
Jean de La Bruyère
A man must have very eminent qualities to hold his own without being polite.
Jean de La Bruyère
Out of difficulties grow miracles.
Jean de La Bruyère
Those who make the worst use of their time most complain of its brevity.
Jean de La Bruyère
He who has lived a day has lived an age.
Jean de La Bruyère
We must laugh before we are happy for fear of dying without having laughed at all.
Jean de La Bruyère
There are certain people who so ardently and passionately desire a thing that from dread of losing it they leave nothing undone to make them lose it.
Jean de La Bruyère
A man must have very eminent qualities to hold his own without being polite.
Jean de La Bruyère
Out of difficulties grow miracles.
Jean de La Bruyère
Those who make the worst use of their time most complain of its brevity.
Jean de La Bruyère
He who has lived a day has lived an age.
Jean de La Bruyère
A modest man never talks of himself.
Jean de La Bruyère
As long as men are liable to die and are desirous to live a physician will be made fun of but he will be well paid.
Jean de La Bruyère
Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.
Jean de La Bruyère
Liberality consists less in giving much than in giving at the right moment.
Jean de La Bruyère
The most exquisite pleasure is giving pleasure to others.
Jean de La Bruyère
The nearer we come to great men the more clearly we see that they are only men. They rarely seem great to their valets.
Jean de La Bruyère
Two persons cannot long be friends if they cannot forgive each other's little failings.
Jean de La Bruyère
A pious man is one who would be an atheist if the king were.
Jean de La Bruyère
The pleasure of criticism takes away from us the pleasure of being deeply moved by very fine things.
Jean de La Bruyère
The unnamed should not be mistaken for the nonexistent.
Jean de La Bruyère
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.
Jean de La Bruyère
If poverty is the mother of all crimes, lack of intelligence is their father.
Jean de La Bruyère
Two persons cannot long be friends if they cannot forgive each other's little failings.
Jean de La Bruyère
Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.
Jean de La Bruyère
If some persons died and others did not die death would indeed be a terrible affliction.
Jean de La Bruyère
The pleasure of criticizing takes away from us the pleasure of being moved by some very fine things.
Jean de La Bruyère