Quote

The events we most desire do not happen or, if they do, it is neither in the time nor in the circumstances when they would have given us extreme pleasure.

Jean de la Bruyere

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Jean de la Bruyere
Age: 50 †
Born: 1645
Born: August 16
Died: 1696
Died: May 10
Aphorist
Essayist
French Moralist
Lawyer
Philosopher
Translator
Writer
Paris
France
Jean de La Bruyere
Time
Circumstances
Events
Happen
Pleasure
Desire
Anticipation
Given
Extreme
Happens
Extremes
Would
Neither

More quotes by Jean de la Bruyere

Image
You think him to be your dupe if he feigns to be so who is the greater dupe, he or you?
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
When a plain-looking woman is loved, it is certain to be very passionately for either her influence on her lover is irresistible, or she has some secret and more irresistible charms than those of beauty.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
For a woman to be at once a coquette and a bigot is more than the humblest of husbands can bear she should mercifully choose between the two.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
There is a pleasure in meeting the glance of a person whom we have lately laid under some obligations.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
Politeness does not always inspire goodness, equity, complaisance, and gratitude it gives at least the appearance of these qualities, and makes man appear outwardly, as he should be within.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
We perceive when love begins and when it declines by our embarrassment when alone together.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
The court is like a palace built of marble I mean that it is made up of very hard but very polished people. [Fr., La cour est comme un edifice bati de marbre je veux dire qu'elle est composee d'hommes fort durs mais fort polis.]
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
Rarely do they appear great before their valets. [Fr., Rarement ils sont grands vis-a-vis de leur valets-de-chambre.]
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
A faithless woman, if known to be such by the person concerned, is but faithless if she is believed faithful, she is treacherous.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
A simple garb is the proper costume of the vulgar it is cut for them, and exactly suits their measure, but it is an ornament for those who have filled up their lives with great deeds. I liken them to beauty in dishabille, but more bewitching on that account.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
The fears of old age disturb us, yet how few attain it?
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
I am not surprised that there are gambling houses, like so many snares laid for human avarice like abysses where many a man's money is engulfed and swallowed up without any hope of return like frightful rocks against which the gamblers are thrown and perish.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
The whole genius of an author consists in describing well, and delineating character well. Homer, Plato, Virgil, Horace only excel other writers by their expressions and images we must indicate what is true if we mean to write naturally, forcibly and delicately.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
A vain man finds his account in speaking good or evil of himself.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
All of our unhappiness comes from our inability to be alone.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
A wise man is not governed by others, nor does he try to govern them he prefers that reason alone prevail.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
Let us not envy some men their accumulated riches their burden would be too heavy for us we could not sacrifice, as they do, health, quiet, honor and conscience, to obtain them: It is to pay so dear from them that the bargain is a loss.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
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.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
Friendship * * * is a long time in forming, it is of slow growth, through many trials and months of familiarity.
Jean de la Bruyere
Image
I call worldly or earthly those whose minds and hearts are fixed on a tiny portion of this world they live in, which is our earth who respect and love nothing beyond it: people as limited as what they call their property or their estate, which can be measured, whose acres can be counted, whose boundaries can be shown.
Jean de la Bruyere