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Lord Chesterfield

Lord Chesterfield Quotes

British Statesman

British statesman known for his epistolary works, which had a profound impact on 18th-century British society.

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All Men People Ifs May Wells Should Company Thinking Giving Manners World Knows Mind Pleasure Character Littles Care Young Long Age

Famous Lord Chesterfield Quotes

“If you have wit, use it to please and not to hurt: you may shine like the sun in the temperate zones without scorching.”

Ifs May Use Humor Hurt Sun Please Shining Wit Zone Scorching

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“You must embrace the man you hate, if you cannot be justified in knocking him down.”

Ifs Men Hate He Man Embrace Justified Knocking

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

“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.”

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“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.”

Ifs Thinking Men Shows Proud Goodness Claims Mere Shocking Civility Pretense Rudeness Condescension Insolent Proud Man

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

“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.”

People Ifs Giving Shows Company Subjects Tone

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“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.”

Ifs Thinking Men Hate Known Crime Weakness Ill Silly Ignorant Imperfection Contempt Awkward Hate You Hints Rogues

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“A man who owes a little can clear it off in a very little time, and, if he is a prudent man, will; whereas a man, who by long negligence, owes a great deal, despairs of ever being able to pay, and therefore never looks into his accounts at all.”

Ifs Men Looks Littles Long Able Deals Pay Clear Despair Accounts Debt Prudent Little Time Negligence

Book:Letters Written by the Earl of Chesterfield to His Son

Source: Letters Written by the Earl of Chesterfield to His Son

“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.”

Ifs Giving Should Mean Persons Matter Able Language Easy Natural Written Trouble Letters Regard Grammar

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“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.”

People Ifs Men Trying Littles Certain Wish Justice Grace Weakness Gains Affection Merit Dominant

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Not to perceive the little weaknesses and the idle but innocent affectations of the company may be allowable as a sort of polite duty. The company will be pleased with you if you do, and most probably will not be reformed by you if you do not.”

Ifs May Littles Company Duty Weakness Innocent Perceive Idle Polite Politeness

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“I would rather have a young fellow too much than too little dressed; the excess on that side will wear off, with a little age and reflection; but if he is negligent at twenty, he will be a sloven at forty, and stink at fifty years old. Dress yourself fine where others are fine, and plain where others are plain; but take care always that your clothes are well made and fit you, for otherwise they will give you a very awkward air.”

Ifs Giving Years Wells Littles Made Care Age Young Sides Too Much Air Fine Fit Clothes Reflection Twenties Dresses Fellows Take Care Fifty Forty Excess Awkward Stink Fifty Year Olds

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“Next to clothes being fine, they should be well made, and worn easily; for a man is only the less genteel for a fine coat, if, in wearing it, he shows a regard for it, and is not as easy in it as if it was a plain one.”

Ifs Men Should Wells Made Shows Next Easy Fine Clothes Regard Worn Coats

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“A man's fortune is frequently decided by his first address. If pleasing, others at once conclude he has merit; but if ungraceful, they decide against him.”

Ifs Men Firsts Decided Fortune Manners Merit Addresses Pleasing Others

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“If you love music hear it; go to operas, concerts, and pay fiddlers to play to you; but I insist upon your neither piping nor fiddling yourself. It puts a gentleman in a very frivolous, contemptible light; brings him into a great deal of bad company; and takes up a great deal of time, which might be much better employed.”

Ifs Play Light Might Deals Pay Company Music Gentleman Concerts Opera Employed Music Love Frivolous Bad Company Fiddlers

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Talk often, but never long; in that case, if you do not please, at least you are sure not to tire your hearers. Pay your own reckoning, but do not treat the whole company; this being one of the few cases in which people do not care to be treated, every one being fully convinced that he has wherewithal to pay.”

People Ifs Long Whole Care Pay Company Talking Cases Please Treats Convinced Treated Tire Reckoning

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“I have, by long experience, found women to be like Telephus's spear: if one end kills, the other cures.”

Ifs Long Ends Found Women Cures Sexism Spears

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

“If originally it was not good for a man to be alone, it is much worse for a sick man to be so; he thinks too much of his distemper, and magnifies it.”

Ifs Thinking Men Too Much Sick Sick Man

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“Vanity, or to call it by a gentler name, the desire of admiration and applause, is, perhaps, the most universal principle of humanactions.... Where that desire is wanting, we are apt to be indifferent, listless, indolent, and inert.... I will own to you, under the secrecy of confession, that my vanity has very often made me take great pains to make many a woman in love with me, if I could, for whose person I would not have given a pinch of snuff.”

Ifs Persons Made Pain Desire Names Given Principles Universal Praise Vanity If I Could Admiration Confession Indifferent Secrecy Applause Snuff

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“A foreign minister, I will maintain it, can never be a good man of business if he is not an agreeable man of pleasure too. Half his business is done by the help of his pleasures: his views are carried on, and perhaps best, and most unsuspectedly, at balls, suppers, assemblies, and parties of pleasure; by intrigues with women, and connections insensibly formed with men, at those unguarded hours of amusement.”

Ifs Men Done Helping Government Hours Pleasure Views Party Half Connections Balls Ministers Good Man Intrigue Amusement Assembly Supper

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“There is not a more prudent maxim, than to live with one's enemies as if they may one day become one's friends; as it commonly happens, sooner or later, in the vicissitudes of political affairs.”

Ifs May Happens Political Politics Enemy One Day Affair Sooner Or Later Maxims Prudent Vicissitudes

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Pray be always in motion. Early in the morning go and see things; and the rest of the day go and see people. If you stay but a week at a place, and that an insignificant one, see, however, all that is to be seen there; know as many people, and get into as many houses as ever you can.”

People Ifs Knows Action House Morning Week Praying Insignificant

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“If a marriage is going to work well, it must be on a solid footing, namely money, and of that commodity it is the girl with the smallest dowry who, to my knowledge, consumes the most, to infuriate her husband. All the same, it is only fair that the marriage should pay for past pleasures, since it will scarcely procure any in the future.”

Ifs Should Wells Past Girl Pleasure Money Pay Marriage Husband Fairs Smallest Commodity Going To Work Dowry

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“The vulgar look upon a man, who is reckoned a fine speaker, as a phenomenon, a supernatural being, and endowed with some peculiargift of Heaven; they stare at him, if he walks in the park, and cry, that is he. You will, I am sure, view him in a juster light, and nulla formidine. You will consider him only as a man of good sense, who adorns common thoughts with the graces of elocution, and the elegancy of style. The miracle will then cease.”

“A wise man will live as much within his wit as his income.... Bear this truth always in your mind, that you may be admired for your wit, if you have any; but that nothing but good sense and good qualities can make you be loved.”

Ifs Men Mind May Quality Wise Bears Wit Income Good Sense Good Quality

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“I always put these pert jackanapeses out of countenance by looking extremely grave when they expect that I should laugh at their pleasantries; and by saying Well, and so?--as if they had not done, and that the sting were still to come. This disconcerts them, as they have no resources in themselves, and have but one set of jokes to live upon.”

Ifs Should Wells Stills Done Laughing Jokes Resources Wit Graves Countenance Pleasantries

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“The great, the rich, the powerful, too often bestow their favours upon their inferiors in the manner they bestow their scraps upontheir dogs, so as neither to oblige man nor dogs. It is no wonder if favours, benefits, and even charities thus bestowed ungraciously, should be as coldly and faintly acknowledged.”

Ifs Men Should Powerful Wonder Rich Dog He Man Gratitude Benefits Charity Inferiors Favour Scrap

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“If a man, notoriously and designedly, insults and affronts you, knock him down; but if he only injures you, your best revenge is to be extremely civil to him in your outward behaviour, though at the same time you counterwork him, and return him the compliment, perhaps with interest.”

Ifs Men Interest Return Revenge Insult Compliment Behaviour Best Revenge

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

“The greatest dangers have their allurements, if the want of success is likely to be attended with a degree of glory. Middling dangers are horrid, when the loss of reputation is the inevitable consequence of ill success.”

Ifs Want Success Loss Danger Degrees Glory Consequence Ill Reputation Inevitable

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

“All ceremonies are in themselves very silly things; but yet, a man of the world should know them. They are the outworks of Mannersand Decency, which would be too often broken in upon, if it were not for that defence, which keeps the enemy at a proper distance.”

Ifs Knows Men World Should Would Be Enemy Broken Distance Silly Ceremony Decency Defence Silly Things

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Never write down your speeches beforehand; if you do, you may perhaps be a good declaimer, but will never be a debater.”

Ifs Writing May Speech

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“Learn to shrink yourself to the size of the company you are in. Take their tone, whatever it may be, and excell in it if you can;but never pretend to give the tone. A free conversation will no more bear a dictator than a free government will.”

Ifs Giving May Government Company Bears Conversation Size Tone Dictator Shrinks Free Government

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“Mind not only what people say, but how they say it; and if you have any sagacity, you may discover more truth by your eyes than by your ears. People can say what they will, but they cannot look just as they will; and their looks frequently (reveal) what their words are calculated to conceal.”

People Ifs Mind Looks May Eye Ears Sagacity

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“A man of the best parts and greatest learning, if he does not know the world by his own experience and observation, will be very absurd, and consequently very unwelcome in company. He may say very good things; but they will be probably so ill-timed, misplaced, or improperly addressed, that he had much better hold his tongue.”

Ifs Knows Men World May Doe Company Good Things Very Good Ill Tongue Absurd Observation Misplaced Unwelcome

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Be wiser than other people if you can; but do not tell them so.”

People Ifs Life Wisdom Wise Advice Wiser Discretion Catchy Win Friends And Influence People

Book:The Modern Chesterfield

Source: The Modern Chesterfield

“If you can once engage people's pride, love, pity, ambition (or whatever is their prevailing passion) on your side, you need not fear what their reason can do against you.”

People Ifs Needs Reason Passion Sides Can Do Pride Ambition Pity Your Side Prevailing

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“There is hardly any place or any company where you may not gain knowledge, if you please; almost everybody knows some one thing, and is glad to talk about that one thing.”

Ifs Knows May Company Knowledge One Thing Please Gains Glad

Book:The Modern Chesterfield

Source: The Modern Chesterfield

“There is time enough for everything in the course of the day if you do but one thing once; but there is not time enough in the year if you will do two things at a time.”

Ifs Years Two Enough Time Courses One Thing Two Things

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

“If you have an hour, will you not improve that hour, instead of idling it away?”

Ifs Life Inspirational Growth Hours Personal Growth Self Growth Personal Growth And Development

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Knowledge is a comfortable and necessary retreat and shelter for us in an advanced age; and if we do not plant it while young, it will give us no shade when we grow old.”

Ifs Giving Age Young Grows Education Comfortable Plant Shade Shelter Retreat

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“If we do not plant knowledge when young, it will give us no shade when we are old.”

Ifs Inspirational Giving Young Growth Learning Teacher Teaching Plant Personal Growth Shade Self Development Self Growth Personal Growth And Development Development And Growth Personal Influence

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“For my own part, I would rather be in company with a dead man than with an absent one; for if the dead man gives me no pleasure, at least he shows me no contempt; whereas the absent one, silently indeed, but very plainly, tells me that he does not think me worth his attention.”

Ifs Thinking Men Giving Doe Real Shows My Own Pleasure Attention Company Give Me Contempt Show Me Real Friends Absent Dead Man

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“If ever a man and his wife, or a man and his mistress, who pass nights as well as days together, absolutely lay aside all good breeding, their intimacy will soon degenerate into a coarse familiarity, infallibly productive of contempt or disgust.”

Ifs Men Wells Together Night Wife Lays Intimacy Productive Contempt Disgusting Mistress Familiarity Breeding Degenerates Coarse Good Breeding Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“If you can once engage people's pride, love, pity, ambition on your side, you need not fear what their reason can do against you.”

People Ifs Needs Reason Sides Can Do Pride Ambition Pity Engagement Your Side

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

“If you would convince others, seem open to conviction yourself.”

Ifs Seems Conviction Convince Persuasion Convincing

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“Vice, in its true light, is so deformed, that it shocks us at first sight; and would hardly ever seduce us, if it did not at first wear the mask of some virtue.”

Ifs Firsts Light Virtue Sight Vices Shock Mask Seducing Vice And Virtue

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“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.”

Ifs Should Persons Easy Natural Letters

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“If you are not in fashion, you are nobody.”

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Virtue and learning, like gold, have their intrinsic value: but if they are not polished, they certainly lose a great deal of their luster: and even polished brass will pass upon more people than rough gold.”

People Ifs Values Loses Deals Virtue Inspirational Life Gold Rough Polished Brass Intrinsic Value Luster

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

“You must be respectable, if you will be respected.”

Ifs Respectable

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“If you will please people, you must please them in their own way.”

People Ifs Way Please

Book:The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the Author

About the Author

Born: September 22, 1694
Died: March 24, 1773
Known for: British Statesman
Quotes: 437

Related Topics

Men People Ifs May Wells Should Company Thinking Giving Manners World Knows Mind Pleasure Character Littles Care Young Long Age

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Lord Chesterfield's LettersRelated source material

The Works of Lord Chesterfield: Including His Letters to His Son, Etc : to which is Prefixed, an Original Life of the AuthorRelated source material

Letters Written by the Earl of Chesterfield to His SonRelated source material

The Modern ChesterfieldRelated source material

LETTERS TO HIS SONRelated source material

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