Luc de Clapiers Quotes - Page 7

Great men undertake great things because they are great; fools, because they think them easy.

Courage is adversity's lamp.

When an idea is not robust enough to stand expression in simple terms, it is a sign that it should be rejected.

Mediocre men sometimes fear great office, and when they do not aim at it, or when they refuse it, all that is to be concluded is that they are aware of their mediocrity.

There are men who are happy without knowing it.

Peace renders nations happier and men weaker.

Clearness marks the sincerity of philosophers.

And where, on earth, dwell hope and truth? In childhood's uncorrupted heart; Alas! too soon to guileless youth The world doth its dark code impart!

When we are sick our virtues and our vices are in abeyance.

All men are born truthful and die liars.

The mind reaches great heights only by spurts.

We ought never to be afraid to repeat an ancient truth, when we feel that we can make it more striking by a neater turn, or bring it alongside of another truth, which may make it clearer, and thereby accumulate evidence. It belongs to the inventive faculty to see clearly the relative state of things, and to be able to place them in connection; but the discoveries of ages gone by belong less to their first authors than to those who make them practically useful to the world.

It is difficult to esteem a man as highly as he would wish.

The maxim that men are not to be praised before their death was invented by envy and too lightly adopted by philosophers.

The character of false wit is that of appearing to depend only upon reason.

Few people are modest enough to be estimated at their true worth.

The generality of men are so bound within the sphere of their circumstances that they have not even the courage to get out of them through their ideas, and if we see a few whom, in a way, speculation over great things makes incapable of mean ones, we find still more with whom the practice of small things takes away the feeling for great ones.

The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to live up to one's opportunities and make the most of one's resources.

We are not greatly pleased that our friends should respect our good qualities if they venture to perceive our faults.

Every thought is new when an author expresses it in a manner peculiar to himself.

Men despise great projects when they do not feel themselves capable of great successes.

You can purchase the mind of Pascal for a crown. Pleasures even cheaper are sold to those who give themselves up to them. It is only luxuries and objects of caprice that are rare and difficult to obtain; unfortunately they are the only things that touch the curiosity and taste of ordinary men.

Obscurity is the kingdom of error.

It is unjust to exact that men shall do out of deference to our advice what they have no desire to do for themselves.

The thought of death deceives us; for it causes us to neglect to live.