Jean de la Bruyere

A man without characteristics is a most insipid character.

— Jean de la Bruyere

When we lavish our money we rob our heir; when we merely save it we rob ourselves.

— Jean de la Bruyere

There are some who speak one moment before they think

— Jean de la Bruyere

“Sudden love takes the longest time to be cured.”

— Jean de La Bruyère

Manners carry the world for the moment, character for all time.

— Jean de la Bruyere

It is in vain to ridicule a rich fool, for the laughers will be on his side.

— Jean de la Bruyere

The regeneration of society is the regeneration of society by individual education.

— Jean de la Bruyere

We should laugh before being happy, for fear of dying without having laughed.

— Jean de la Bruyere

Eloquence may be found in conversations and in all kinds of writings; it is rarely found when looked for, and sometimes discovered…

— Jean de la Bruyere

There are but three events which concern man: birth, life and death. They are unconscious of their birth, they suffer when they…

— Jean de la Bruyere

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

Every man is valued in this world as he shows by his conduct that he wishes to be valued.

— Jean de la Bruyere

“A person's worth in this world is estimated according to the value they put on themselves.”

— Jean de La Bruyère

Cheats easily believe others as bad as themselves; there is no deceiving them, nor do they long deceive.

— Jean de la Bruyere

It is too much for a husband to have a wife who is a coquette and sanctimonious as well; she should select…

— Jean de la Bruyere

The very essence of politeness seems to be to take care that by our words and actions we make other people pleased…

— Jean de la Bruyere

We need not envy certain people their great wealth; they acquired it at a heavy cost, which would not suit us; they…

— Jean de la Bruyere

I do not doubt but that genuine piety is the spring of peace of mind; it enables us to bear the sorrows…

— Jean de la Bruyere

A man unattached and without wife, if he have any genius at all, may raise himself above his original position, may mingle…

— Jean de la Bruyere

Discourtesy does not spring merely from one bad quality, but from several--from foolish vanity, from ignorance of what is due to others,…

— Jean de la Bruyere

A man who knows the court is master of his gestures, of his eyes and of his face; he is profound, impenetratable;…

— Jean de la Bruyere

A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink, and Paper, and without ever having had a thought of it before, resolves…

— Jean de la Bruyere

Let us not envy some men their accumulated riches; their burden would be too heavy for us; we could not sacrifice, as…

— Jean de la Bruyere

When a plain-looking woman is loved, it is certain to be very passionately ; for either her influence on her lover is…

— Jean de la Bruyere

All of our unhappiness comes from our inability to be alone.

— Jean de la Bruyere

Children enjoy the present because they have neither a past nor a future.

— Jean de la Bruyere

Women are extreme; they are better than men, or worse.

— Jean de la Bruyere

It is no more in our power to love always than it was not to love at all.

— Jean de la Bruyere

The sweetest of all sounds is that of the voice of the woman we love.

— Jean de la Bruyere

There is nothing men are so anxious to keep, and yet are so careless about, as life.

— Jean de la Bruyere

A vain man finds his account in speaking good or evil of himself.

— Jean de la Bruyere

“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.”

— Jean de La Bruyère

Men fall from great fortune because of the same shortcomings that led to their rise.

— Jean de la Bruyere

Party loyalty lowers the greatest men to the petty level of the masses.

— Jean de la Bruyere

A prince wants only the pleasure of private life to complete his happiness.

— Jean de la Bruyere

It is a fool's privilege to laugh at an intelligent man.

— Jean de la Bruyere

Rarely do they appear great before their valets.

— Jean de la Bruyere

When we are young we lay up for old age; when we are old we save for death.

— Jean de la Bruyere

A pious man is one who would be an atheist if the king were.

— Jean de la Bruyere

Avoid making yourself the subject of conversation.

— Jean de la Bruyere