All men's misfortunes spring from their hatred of being alone.
¶ Characters (1688)
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Jean de La Bruyère (1645-1696) French essayist and moralist
A man has made great progess in cunning when he does not seem too clever to others.
¶ Characters, "Of the Court" (1688)
Men blush less for their crimes than for their weaknesses and vanity.
¶ Les Caractères
The first thing men do when they have renounced pleasure, through decency, lassitude, or for the sake of health, is to condemn it in others. Such conduct denotes a kind of latent affection for the very things they left off; they would like no one to enjoy a pleasure they can no longer indulge in; and thus they show their feelings of jealousy.
¶ The Characters, "Of Mankind" (1688)
trans. van Laun (1929)
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WIST is my collection of quotations I find meaningful, moving, amusing (intended or not), well-phrased, and/or to which I just say I "Wish I'd Said That." But just because I quote it here doesn't mean I actually agree with it. If you have any comments, corrections, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to
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