The universe is built on a plan the profound symmetry of which is somehow present in the inner structure of our intellect. Paul Valery More Quotes by Paul Valery More Quotes From Paul Valery The folly of mistaking oneself for an oracle is built right into us. Paul Valery oracles folly oneself The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us. Paul Valery honesty truth spring To write regular verses destroys an infinite number of fine possibilities, but at the same time it suggests a multitude of distant and totally unexpected thoughts. Paul Valery unexpected writing numbers What Degas called 'a way of seeing' must consequently bear a wide enough interpretation to include way of being, power, knowledge, and will. Paul Valery degas bears way Collect all the facts that can be collected about the life of Racine and you will never learn from them the art of his verse. All criticism is dominated by the outworn theory that the man is the cause of the work as in the eyes of the law the criminal is the cause of the crime. Far rather are they both the effects. Paul Valery eye men art The history of thought may be summed up in these words: it is absurd by what it seeks and great by what it finds. Paul Valery absurd may Cognition reigns but does not rule. Paul Valery cognition reign doe The wind is rising ... we must attempt to live. Paul Valery rising wind Stupidity is not my strong suit. Paul Valery suits stupidity strong Liberty is the hardest test that one can inflict on a people. To know how to be free is not given equally to all men and all nations. Paul Valery equality men people What golden hour of life, what glittering moment will ever equal the pain its loss can cause? Paul Valery golden pain loss Latent in every man is a venom of amazing bitterness, a black resentment; something that curses and loathes life, a feeling of being trapped, of having trusted and been fooled, of being helpless prey to impotent rage, blind surrender, the victim of a savage, ruthless power that gives and takes away, enlists a man, drops him, promises and betrays, and -crowning injury- inflicts on him the humiliation of feeling sorry for himself. Paul Valery sorry giving men Love is acting stupid together. Paul Valery acting stupid love-is The mere notion of photography, when we introduce it into our meditation on the genesis of historical knowledge and its true value, suggests the simple question: Could such and such a fact, as it is narrated here, have been photographed? Paul Valery historical-knowledge photography simple Man cannot bear his own portrait. The image of his limits and his own determinacy exasperates him, drives him mad. Paul Valery portraits mad men From the moment that photography appeared, the descriptive genre began to invade Letters... In verse as in prose the décor and exterior aspects of life took an almost excessive place. Paul Valery moments photography letters ...in song the words tend to lose their significance, do often lose it, while at the other extreme, in current prose it is the musical value that tends to disappear - so that verse stands symmetrically, as it were, between song, on the one hand, and prose on the other - and is thus admirably and delicately balanced between the sensual and the intellectual power of language. Paul Valery musical song hands In most cases, when the lion, weary of obeying its master, has torn and devoured him, its nerves are pacified and it looks round for another master before whom to grovel. Paul Valery lions nerves looks The commerce of minds was necessarily the first commerce in the world, ... since before bartering things one must barter signs, and it is necessary therefore that signs be instituted.There is no market or exchange without language. The first instrument of all commerce is language. Paul Valery mind world firsts Whoever wants to accomplish great things must devote to a lot of profound thought to details. Paul Valery details inspirational profound
