Character Quotes by Lord Chesterfield

15 Character quotes by Lord Chesterfield

All Character quotes Lord Chesterfield’s page

Lord Chesterfield’s fifteen reflections on character read like a gentleman’s counsel from the 18th century. His polished phrasing invites a thoughtful look at reputation, honor, and personal conduct.

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Be your character what it will, it will be known, and nobody will take it upon your word.

Lord Chesterfield

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He adorned whatever subject he either spoke or wrote upon, by the most splendid eloquence.

Lord Chesterfield

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The greatest powers cannot injure a man's character whose reputation is unblemished among his party.

Lord Chesterfield

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Cardinal Mazarin was a great knave, but no great man; much more cunning than able; scandalously false and dirtily greedy.

Lord Chesterfield

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Whoever plays deep must necessarily lose his money or his character.

Lord Chesterfield

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The nation looked upon him as a deserter, and he shrunk into insignificancy and an earldom.

Lord Chesterfield

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Conscious virtue is the only solid foundation of all happiness; for riches, power, rank, or whatever, in the common acceptation ofthe word,…

Lord Chesterfield

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It is hard to say which is the greatest fool: he who tells the whole truth, or he who tells no truth…

Lord Chesterfield

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So much are our minds influenced by the accidents of our bodies, that every man is more the man of the day…

Lord Chesterfield

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Mankind is made up of inconsistencies, and no man acts invariably up to his predominant character. The wisest man sometimes acts weakly,…

Lord Chesterfield

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A rake is a composition of all the lowest, most ignoble, degrading, and shameful vices; they all conspire to disgrace his character,…

Lord Chesterfield

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Keep carefully not of all scrapes and quarrels. They lower a character extremely; and are particularly dangerous in France, wherea man is…

Lord Chesterfield

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You must be respectful and assenting, but without being servile and abject. You must be frank, but without indiscretion, and close, without…

Lord Chesterfield

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Women of fashion and character--I do not mean absolutely unblemished--are a necessary ingredient in the composition of good company; the attention which…

Lord Chesterfield

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Keep your hands clean and pure from the infamous vice of corruption, a vice so infamous that it degrades even the other…

Lord Chesterfield

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Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…

Lord Chesterfield

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No woman ever yet either reasoned or acted long together consequentially; but some little thing, some love, some resentment, somepresent momentary interest, some supposed…

Lord Chesterfield

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I am in the pitiable situation of feeling all the force of temptation without having the strength to succumb to it.

Lord Chesterfield

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Mankind is made up of inconsistencies, and no man acts invariably up to his predominant character. The wisest man sometimes acts weakly, and the…

Lord Chesterfield

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Compliments of congratulation are always kindly taken, and cost nothing but pen, ink and paper. I consider them as draughts upon good breeding, where…

Lord Chesterfield