Jean de La Bruyère Quotes

The unnamed should not be mistaken for the nonexistent.

It is a great misfortune neither to have enough wit to talk well nor enough judgment to be silent.

There is no business in the world so troublesome as the pursuit of fame: life is over before you have hardly begun your work.

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.

A pious man is one who would be an atheist if the king were.

The pleasure of criticizing takes away from us the pleasure of being moved by some very fine things.

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.