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...
anyone heard hold order people tongue unwilling
Never hold anyone by the button, or the hand, in order to be heard out; for if people are unwilling to hear you, you had better hold your tongue than them
critics dressing dull feed taste
Let dull critics feed upon the carcasses of plays; give me the taste and the dressing
answering concerned letters politeness reasonable returning within
Politeness is as much concerned in answering letters within a reasonable time, as it is in returning a bow, immediately.
mistake wife found
To take a wife merely as an agreeable and rational companion, will commonly be found to be a grand mistake.
men share endure
A man must have a good share of wit himself to endure a great share in another.
cannot crawl domestic fellow good narrow obliged planet wish
While I can crawl upon this planet I think myself obliged to do what good I can, in my narrow domestic spheres, to my fellow creatures, and to wish them all the good I cannot do
good health humor poison sadness
Good humor is the health of the soul, sadness its poison
confused facts heap history
History is only a confused heap of facts
error innocent man mind people regard woman
If a man has a mind to be thought wiser, and a woman handsomer than they really are, their error is a comfortable one to themselves, and an innocent one with regard to other people
fools holiday idleness refuge weak
Idleness is the only refuge of weak minds, and the holiday of fools
full heard nobody since sure
I am sure that since I have had the full use of my reason, nobody has ever heard me laugh.
acquired knowledge
Knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet.
bad case receiver scandal thief
In the case of scandal as in that of robbery, the receiver is always thought as bad as the thief
brute cow mere pleasure reading sort
The mere brute pleasure of reading -the sort of pleasure a cow must have in grazing.