Moliere Quotes - Page 7

Love is often the fruit of marriage.

It is a strange enterprise to make respectable people laugh.

We die only once, and for such a long time.

The scandal of the world is what makes the offence; it is not sinful to sin in silence.

Isn't the greatest rule of all the rules simply to please?

It is fine for a woman to know a lot; but I don't want her to have this shocking desire to be learned for learnedness sake. When I ask a woman a question, I like her to pretend to ignore what she really knows.

There's nothing people can't contrive to praise or condemn and find justification for doing so, according to their age and their inclinations.

Perfect reason flees all extremity, and leads one to be wise with sobriety.

The general public is easy. You don't have to answer to anyone; and as long as you follow the rules of your profession, you needn't worry about the consequences. But the problem with the powerful and rich is that when they are sick, they really want their doctors to cure them.

Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.

Of all human foibles love of living is the most powerful.

Time has nothing to do with the matter.

Innocence is not accustomed to blush. [Fr., L'innocence a rougir n'est point accoutumee.]

One should eat to live, not live to eat.

The smallest errors are always the best.

There's nothing quite like tobacco: it's the passion of decent folk, and whoever lives without tobacco doesn't deserve to live.

In order to prove a friend to one's guests, frugality must reign in one's meals; and, according to an ancient saying, one must eat to live, not live to eat.

With a smile we should instruct our youth.

The envious will die, but envy never.

All extremes does perfect reason flee, And wishes to be wise quite soberly.

It may cost me twenty thousand francs; but for twenty thousand francs, I will have the right to rail against the iniquity of humanity, and to devote to it my eternal hatred.

We ought always to conform to the manners of the greater number, and so behave as not to draw attention to ourselves. Excess either way shocks, and every man truly wise ought to attend to this in his dress as well as language, never to be affected in anything and follow without being in too great haste the changes of fashion.

Nearly all men die of their medicines, not of their diseases.

Although I am a pious man, I am not the less a man.

The impromptu reply is precisely the touchstone of the man of wit.