It is a sad thing when men have neither enough intelligence to speak well nor enough sense to hold their tongues; this is the root of all impertinence. Jean de la Bruyere More Quotes by Jean de la Bruyere More Quotes From Jean de la Bruyere It is a great misfortune neither to have enough wit to talk well nor enough judgment to be silent. Jean de la Bruyere judgment silent silence A fool is one whom simpletons believe to be a man on merit. Jean de la Bruyere fool men believe That man is good who does good to others; if he suffers on account of the good he does, he is very good; if he suffers at the hands of those to whom he has done good, then his goodness is so great that it could be enhanced only by greater sufferings; and if he should die at their hands, his virtue can go no further: it is heroic, it is perfect. Jean de la Bruyere perfect men hands Women become attached to men by the intimacies they grant them; men are cured of their love by the same intimacies. Jean de la Bruyere intimacy women men If this life is unhappy, it is a burden to us, which it is difficult to bear; if it is in every respect happy, it is dreadful to be deprived of it; so that in either case the result is the same, for we must exist in anxiety and apprehension. Jean de la Bruyere anxiety unhappy life There is a false modesty, which is vanity; a false glory, which is levity; a false grandeur, which is meanness; a false virtue, which is hypocrisy, and a false wisdom, which is prudery. Jean de la Bruyere modesty vanity hypocrisy The pleasure we feel in criticizing robs us from being moved by very beautiful things. Jean de la Bruyere pleasure criticism beautiful The wise person often shuns society for fear of being bored. Jean de la Bruyere bores-you wise fear Let us not complain against men because otheir rudeness, their ingratitude, their injustice, their arrogance, their love oself, their forgetfulness oothers. They are so made. Such is their nature. Jean de la Bruyere arrogance complaining men An inconstant woman is one who is no longer in love; a false woman is one who is already in love with another person; a fickle woman is she who neither knows whom she loves nor whether she loves or not; and the indifferent woman, one who does not love at all. Jean de la Bruyere fickle women doe We need not envy certain people their great wealth; they acquired it at a heavy cost, which would not suit us; they staked their rest, their health, their honour and their conscience to acquire it, the price is too high, and there is nothing to be gained by such a bargain. Jean de la Bruyere envy class men Love seizes us suddenly, without giving warning, and our disposition or our weakness favors the surprise; one look, one glance, from the fair fixes and determines us. Jean de la Bruyere warning love giving All men's misfortunes spring from their hatred of being alone. Jean de la Bruyere being-alone loneliness spring Discourtesy does not spring merely from one bad quality, but from several--from foolish vanity, from ignorance of what is due to others, from indolence, from stupidity, from distraction of thought, from contempt of others, from jealousy. Jean de la Bruyere vanity ignorance spring Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment. Jean de la Bruyere generosity inspirational lying It's motive alone which gives character to the actions of men. Jean de la Bruyere giving character men Grief at the absence of a loved one is happiness compared to life with a person one hates. Jean de la Bruyere hate grief life Languages are no more than the keys of Sciences. He who despises one, slights the other. Jean de la Bruyere despise language keys The shortest and best way to make your fortune is to let people see clearly that it is in their interest to promote yours. Jean de la Bruyere business inspirational people A man may doubt of God's existence when he is in good health, just as he may doubt whether his relation with a harlot is sinful. When he falls ill, when dropsy develops, he leaves his concubine, and he believes in God. Jean de la Bruyere believe children fall
