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Quote by Jean de la Bruyere

“All the world says of a coxcomb that he is a coxcomb; but no one dares to say so to his face, and he dies without knowing it.”

Quote by Jean de la Bruyere

Author

Jean de la Bruyere

Jean de la Bruyere was a French philosopher and moralist, born on August 16, 1645, and died on May 10, 1696. His works have had a profound impact on posterity. more

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“It is very rare to find ground which produces nothing; if it is not covered with flowers, with fruit trees and grains, it produces briers and pines. It is the same with man; if he is not virtuous, he becomes vicious.”

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“Cunning is none of the best nor worst qualities; it floats between virtue and vice; there is scarce any exigence where it may not, and perhaps ought not to be supplied by prudence.”

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“Great things astonish us, and small dishearten us. Custom makes both familiar.”

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“Caprice in women often infringes upon the rules of decency.”

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“The nearer we approach great men, the clearer we see that they are men.”

Men Approach Dignity Great Men

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“Dissimulation, even the most innocent in its nature, is ever productive of embarrassment; whether the design is evil or not artifice is always dangerous and almost inevitably disgraceful.”

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“A prince wants only the pleasure of private life to complete his happiness.”

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“Duty is what goes most against the grain, because in doing that we do only what we are strictly obliged to, and are seldom much praised for it.”

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“The pleasure a man of honor enjoys in the consciousness of having performed his duty is a reward he pays himself for all his pains.”

Men Pain Enjoy Pleasure Pay Consciousness Duty Honor Rewards

Author:Jean de la Bruyere

“An egotist will always speak of himself, either in praise or in censure, but a modest man ever shuns making himself the subject of his conversation.”

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Author:Jean de la Bruyere