Home / Quotes / Quote by Lord Chesterfield

Quote by Lord Chesterfield

“I have been too long acquainted with human nature to have great regard for human testimony; and a very great degree of probability, supported by various concurrent circumstances, conspiring in one point, will have much greater weight with me, than human testimony upon oath, or even upon honour; both of which I have frequently seen considerably warped by private views.”

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

You May Also Like

“It is hard to say which is the greatest fool: he who tells the whole truth, or he who tells no truth at all. Character is as necessary in business as in trade. No man can deceive often in either.”

Men Hard Whole Character Truth Fool Trade Deceiving Whole Truth

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

“To write anything tolerable, the mind must be in a natural, proper disposition; provocatives, in that case, as well as in another,will only produce miserable, abortive performances.”

Writing Mind Wells Natural Creativity Cases Produce Performances Miserable Disposition Tolerable

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

“Remember that whatever knowledge you do not solidly lay the foundation of before you are eighteen, you will never be master of while you breathe.”

Remember Knowledge Masters Foundation Lays Breathe Eighteen

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

“Our conjectures pass upon us for truths; we will know what we do not know, and often, what we cannot know: so mortifying to our pride is the base suspicion of ignorance.”

Knows Knowledge Ignorance Pride Suspicion Conjecture

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“A seeming ignorance is very often a most necessary part of worldly knowledge. It is, for instance, commonly advisable to seem ignorant of what people offer to tell you; and when they say, Have not you heard of such a thing? to answer No, and to let them go on, though you know it already.”

People Knows Seems Answers Knowledge Heard Ignorance Goes On Offers Ignorant Instance Worldly Seeming Advisable

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Second-rate knowledge, and middling talents, carry a man farther at courts, and in the busy part of the world, than superior knowledge and shining parts.”

Men World Knowledge Talent Court Shining Rate Busy Superiors Second Rate

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

“Let it be your maxim through life, to know all you can know, yourself; and never to trust implicitly to the information of others.”

Knows Knowledge Trust Independence Maxims Know Yourself

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“I am not of the opinion generally entertained in this country [England], that man lives by Greek and Latin alone; that is, by knowing a great many words of two dead languages, which nobody living knows perfectly, and which are of no use in the common intercourse of life. Useful knowledge, in my opinion, consists of modern languages, history, and geography; some Latin may be thrown into the bargain, in compliance with custom, and for closet amusement.”

“It seems to me that physical sickness softens, just as moral sickness hardens, the heart.”

Heart Seems Moral Sickness

Author:Lord Chesterfield

“Should you be unfortunate enough to have vices, you may, to a certain degree, even dignify them by a strict observance of decorum;at least they will lose something of their natural turpitude.”

Should May Enough Certain Loses Natural Degrees Vices Unfortunate Strict Observance Decorum

Book:Lord Chesterfield's Letters

Source: Lord Chesterfield's Letters