Jean de la Bruyere
Jean de la Bruyere
Jean de La Bruyèrewas a French philosopher and moralist...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPhilosopher
CountryFrance
lying way facts
A heap of epithets is poor praise: the praise lies in the facts, and in the way of telling them.
stupid book reading
There is as much trickery required to grow rich by a stupid book as there is folly in buying it.
clever lying men
A man has made great progress in cunning when he does not seem too clever to others.
men honor riches
As riches and honor forsake a man, we discover him to be a fool, but nobody could find it out in his prosperity.
merit alive reputation
When we are dead we are praised by those who survive us, though we frequently have no other merit than that of being no longer alive.
men quality rudeness
A man must have very eminent qualities to hold his own without being polite.
men may venture
A man may have intelligence enough to excel in a particular thing and lecture on it, and yet not have sense enough to know he ought to be silent on some other subject of which he has but a slight knowledge; if such an illustrious man ventures beyond the bounds of his capacity, he loses his way and talks like a fool.
thinking doe enough
The flatterer does not think highly enough of himself or of others.
littles usual virtue
If it be usual to be strongly impressed by things that are scarce, why are we so little impressed by virtue?
beautiful women may
If a handsome woman allows that another woman is beautiful, we may safely conclude she excels her.
fool sides wealth
It is in vain to ridicule a rich fool, for the laughers will be on his side.
country way kind
Impertinent wits are a kind of insect which are in everybody's way and plentiful in all countries.
reading writing common-sense
The same common sense which makes an author write good things, makes him dread they are not good enough to deserve reading.
thinking dupes deceit
You think him to be your dupe; if he feigns to be so who is the greater dupe, he or you?