Jean Bruyere
Jean Bruyere
glory men merit others
It is the glory and merit of some men to write well, and of others not to write at all
depended deserved generous great honest report resolute
There is a report that Piso is dead; it is a great loss; he was an honest man, who deserved to live longer; he was intelligent and agreeable, resolute and courageous, to be depended upon, generous and faithful.' Add: 'provided he is really dead'.
excesses few finer
There are few finer excesses in the world than an excess of gratitude.
great misfortune remain wit
It is a great misfortune to have the wit to speak, but not the sense when to remain silent.
human late seven thousand
Everything has been said, and we are more than seven thousand years of human thought too late
book courageous event good inspires judge noble raises rule seek workman
When a book raises your spirit, and inspires you with noble and courageous feelings, seek for no other rule to judge the event by; it is good and made by a good workman
man secret secrets woman
A man can keep a secret better than his own. A woman her own better than others.
atheist observer strict
A strict observer is one who would be an atheist under an atheistic king.
atheist king man
A sanctimonious man is one who under an atheist king would be atheist
fine moved pleasure
The pleasure of criticizing robs us of the pleasure of being moved by some very fine things.
according estimated self-esteem value worth
A person's worth in this world is estimated according to the value they put on themselves.
associate held wish
If you wish to be held in esteem, you must associate only with those who are esteemable
add cost french-philosopher giving hardest
The giving is the hardest part; what does it cost to add a smile?
devote greater lives majority men remaining
The majority of men devote the greater part of their lives to making their remaining years unhappy.