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Quote by Lord Chesterfield

“I do not think that a Physician should be admitted into the College till he could bring proofs of his having cured, in his own person, at least four incurable distempers.”

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Lord Chesterfield

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

“Keep your hands clean and pure from the infamous vice of corruption, a vice so infamous that it degrades even the other vices thatmay accompany it. Accept no present whatever; let your character in that respect be transparent and without the least speck, for as avarice is the vilest and dirtiest vice in private, corruption is so in public life.”

Character Hands Accepting Pure Clean Greed Vices Corruption Transparent Public Life Avarice Accompany Degrade Specks Infamous

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“Deserve a great deal, and you shall have a great deal; deserve little, and you shall have but a little; and be good for nothing atall, and I assure you, you shall have nothing at all.”

Littles Deals Deserve Rewards Be Good Generosity

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“The only sure way of avoiding these evils [vanity and boasting] is never to speak of yourself at all. But when, historically, youare obliged to mention yourself, take care not to drop one single word that can directly or indirectly be construed as fishing for applause.”

Way Care Evil Speak Take Care Vanity Fishing Avoiding Boast Obliged Egotism Applause Single Word

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“How often should a woman be pregnant? Continually, or hardly ever? Or must there be a certain number of pregnancy anniversaries established by fashion? What do you, at the age of forty-three, have to say on the subject? Is it a fact that the laws of nature, or of the country, or of propriety, have ordained this time of life for sterility?”

Should Country Facts Age Law Certain Three Numbers Subjects Fashion Forty Pregnancy Pregnant Laws Of Nature Propriety

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“It may be objected, that I am now recommending dissimulation to you; I both own and justify it. It has been long said: Qui nescitdissimular nescit regnare: I go still farther, and say, that without some dissimulation, no business can be carried on at all.”

May Long Has Beens Said Stills Lying Deceit Justify Dishonesty

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“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

“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.”

Mind Littles Strong Attention Mistake Objects Addiction Curious Former Useless Etc Butterfly Shells Tribes Insects Futility Great Ones Frivolous Little Minds Strong Mind

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters

“At any age we must cherish illusions, consolatory or merely pleasant; in youth, they are omnipresent; in old age we must search for them, or even invent them. But with all that, boredom is their natural and inevitable accompaniment.”

Age Natural Youth Illusion Old Age Inevitable Pleasant Boredom Cherish

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“The late Président de Montesquieu told me that he knew how to be blind--he had been so for such a long time--but I swear that I do not know how to be deaf: I cannot get used to it, and I am as humiliated and distressed by it today as I was during the first week. No philosophy in the world can palliate deafness.”

Knows World Firsts Long Philosophy Today Used Know How Week Late Long Time Blind Swear Blindness Deaf Humiliated Deafness Montesquieu

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Many people come into company full of what they intend to say in it themselves, without the least regard to others; and thus charged up to the muzzle are resolved to let it off at any rate.”

People Company Regard Rate Egotism Muzzle

Author:Lord Chesterfield

Quote by Lord Chesterfield

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