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Quote by Lord Chesterfield

“Little minds mistake little objects for great ones, and lavish away upon the former that time and attention which only the latterdeserve. To such mistakes we owe the numerous and frivolous tribe of insect-mongers, shell-mongers, and pursuers and driers of butterflies, etc. The strong mind distinguishes, not only between the useful and the useless, but likewise between the useful and the curious.”

Quote by Lord Chesterfield

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Work

Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Lord Chesterfield's Letters is a compilation of the correspondence between the 4th Earl of Chesterfield and his son. These letters provide a unique glimpse into the social and political landscape of 18th-century England, as well as the personal wisdom and advice that Lord Chesterfield imparted to his son. more

Author

Lord Chesterfield

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

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“I love every-day senses, every-day wit and entertainment; a man who is only good on holidays, is good for very little.”

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Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

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“I have seen many people, who while you are speaking to them, instead, of looking at, and attending to you, fix their eyes upon the ceiling, or some other part of the room, look out of the window, play with a dog, twirl their snuff-box, or pick their nose. Nothing discovers a little, futile, frivolous mind more than this, and nothing is so offensively ill-bred.”

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“Instead of giving in to the greatest misfortune that can happen at my age, deafness, I busy myself in searching out all possible compensations, and I apply myself much more to all the amusements that are here within my grasp.”

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“Deafness produces bizarre effects, reversing the natural order of things; the interchange of letters is the conversation of the deaf, and the only link with society. I would be in despair, for instance, over seeing you speak, but, instead, I am only too happy to hear you write.”

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Author:Lord Chesterfield

“There are people who indulge themselves in a sort of lying, which they reckon innocent, and which in one sense is so; for it hurtsnobody but themselves. This sort of lying is the spurious offspring of vanity, begotten upon folly.”

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Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

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