Lord Chesterfield
Lord Chesterfield
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield KG PCwas a British statesman, and a man of letters, and wit. He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Chesterfield, and Lady Elizabeth Savile, and known as Lord Stanhope until the death of his father, in 1726. Educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he subsequently embarked on the Grand Tour of the Continent, to complete his education as a nobleman, by exposure to the cultural legacies of Classical antiquity and...
family gossip people
Cautiously avoid speaking of the domestic affairs either of yourself, or of other people. Yours are nothing to them but tedious gossip; and theirs are nothing to you.
men may haste
A man of sense may be in haste, but can never be in a hurry.
justice judgment all-occasions
Judgment is not upon all occasions required, but discretion always is.
defense manners courtesy
Ceremony is necessary as the outwork and defense of manners.
philosophy pedants philosopher
The scholar without good breeding is a pedant; the philosopher, a cynic.
men stupidity ignorant
An ignorant man is insignificant and contemptible; nobody cares for his company, and he can just be said to live, and that is all.
inspirational-life people gold
Virtue and learning, like gold, have their intrinsic value: but if they are not polished, they certainly lose a great deal of their luster: and even polished brass will pass upon more people than rough gold.
ignorance government errors
Absolute power can only be supported by error, ignorance and prejudice.
character men wisest-man
Mankind is made up of inconsistencies, and no man acts invariably up to his predominant character. The wisest man sometimes acts weakly, and the weakest sometimes wisely.
retirement years two
Lord Tyrawley and I have been dead these two years, but we don't choose to have it known.
vegetables dinner culinary
Artichoke: That vegetable of which one has more at the finish than at the start of dinner.
party character men
The greatest powers cannot injure a man's character whose reputation is unblemished among his party.
men world may
A man of the best parts and greatest learning, if he does not know the world by his own experience and observation, will be very absurd, and consequently very unwelcome in company. He may say very good things; but they will be probably so ill-timed, misplaced, or improperly addressed, that he had much better hold his tongue.
new-year believe heart
This is the day when people reciprocally offer, and receive, the kindest and the warmest wishes, though, in general, without meaning them on one side, or believing them on the other. They are formed by the head, in compliance with custom, though disavowed by the heart, in consequence of nature.