I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide. Lord Chesterfield More Quotes by Lord Chesterfield More Quotes From Lord Chesterfield Let your enemies be disarmed by the gentleness of your manner, but let them feel at the same time the steadiness of your just resentment for there is a great difference between bearing malice, which is always ungenerous, and a resolute self-defense which is ever prudent and justifiable. Lord Chesterfield resentment time enemy The nation looked upon him as a deserter, and he shrunk into insignificancy and an earldom. Lord Chesterfield nations character One man affirms that he has rode post a hundred miles in six hours; probably it is a lie; but supposing it to be true, what then? Why, he is a very good post-boy; that is all. Another asserts, and probably not without oaths, that he has drunk six or eight bottles of wine at a sitting; out of charity I will believe him a liar; for if I do not, I must think him a beast. Lord Chesterfield liars believe lying Let your letter be written as accurately as you are able,--I mean with regard to language, grammar, and stops; for as to the matter of it the less trouble you give yourself the better it will be. Letters should be easy and natural, and convey to the persons to whom we send them just what we should say to the persons if we were with them. Lord Chesterfield matter giving mean In your friendships and in your enmities let your confidence and your hostilities have certain bounds; make not the former dangerous, nor the latter irreconcilable. There are strange vicissitudes in business. Lord Chesterfield enmity strange friendship Experience only can teach men not to prefer what strikes them for the present moment, to what will have much greater weight with the them hereafter. Lord Chesterfield experience weight men Very ugly or very beautiful women should be flattered on their understanding, and mediocre ones on their beauty. Lord Chesterfield ugly understanding beautiful You should not only have attention to everything, but a quickness of attention, so as to observe at once all the people in the room--their motions, their looks and their words--and yet without staring at them and seeming to be an observer. Lord Chesterfield people looks rooms A man of sense may be in haste, but can never be in a hurry. Lord Chesterfield haste may men Men are much more unwilling to have their weaknesses and their imperfections known, than their crimes; and, if you hint to a man that you think him silly, ignorant, or even ill-bred or awkward, he will hate you more, and longer, than if you tell him plainly that you think him a rogue. Lord Chesterfield hate silly men A vulgar man is captious and jealous; eager and impetuous about trifles. He suspects himself to be slighted, and thinks everything that is said meant at him. Lord Chesterfield jealous men thinking A joker is near akin to a buffoon; and neither of them is the least related to wit. Lord Chesterfield buffoons related wit If you wish particularly to gain the good graces and affection of certain people, men or women, try to discover their most striking merit, if they have one, and their dominant weakness, for every one has his own, then do justice to the one, and a little more than justice to the other. Lord Chesterfield justice men people Many new years you may see, but happy ones you cannot see without deserving them. These virtue, honor, and knowledge alone can merit, alone can produce. Lord Chesterfield new-year honor years A cheerful, easy, open countenance will make fools think you a good-natured man, and make designing men think you an undesigning one. Lord Chesterfield design men thinking The insolent civility of a proud man is, if possible, more shocking than his rudeness could be; because he shows you, by his manner, that he thinks it mere condescension in him; and that his goodness alone bestows upon you what you have no pretense to claim. Lord Chesterfield proud men thinking The most familiar and intimate habitudes, connections, friendships, require a degree of good-breeding both to preserve and cement them. Lord Chesterfield connections degrees friendship Young men are as apt to think themselves wise enough, as drunken men are to think themselves sober enough. They look upon spirit to be a much better thing than experience; which they call coldness. They are but half mistaken; for though spirit without experience is dangerous, experience without spirit is languid and ineffective. Lord Chesterfield wise men thinking Take rather than give the tone to the company you are in. If you have parts you will show them more or less upon every subject; and if you have not, you had better talk sillily upon a subject of other people's than of your own choosing. Lord Chesterfield tone giving people A gentleman has ease without familiarity, is respectful without meanness; genteel without affectation, insinuating without seeming art. Lord Chesterfield gentleman ease art
