Luc de Clapiers
Luc de Clapiers
Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargueswas a minor French writer, a moralist. He died at age 31, in broken health, having published the year prior—anonymously—a collection of essays and aphorisms with the encouragement of Voltaire, his friend. He first received public notice under his own name in 1797, and from 1857 on, his aphorisms became popular. In the history of French literature, his significance lies chiefly in his friendship with Voltaire...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth6 August 1715
CountryFrance
A man who love only himself and his pleasures is vain, presumptuous, and wicked even from principle.
The maxim that men are not to be praised before their death was invented by envy and too lightly adopted by philosophers. I, on the contrary, maintain that they ought to be praised in their lifetime if they merit it; but jealousy and calumny, roused against their virtue or their talent, labour to degrade them if any one ventures to bear testimony to them. It is unjust criticism that they should fear to hazard, not sincere praise.
We discover in ourselves what others hide from us and we recognize in others what we hide from ourselves...
Learn to overrule minor interest in favor of great ones, and generously to do all the good the heart prompts; a man is never injured by acting virtuously.
There are those who are so scrupulously afraid of doing wrong that they seldom venture to do anything.
Simple truths are a relief from grand speculations.
We don't have enough time to premeditate our actions.
Necessity relieves us from the embarrassment of choice.
The lazy are always wanting to do something.
Hatred and dishonesty generally arises from fear of being deceived.
Consciousness of our powers augments them.
Truth is not so threadbare as speech, because fewer people can make use of it.
If anyone accuses me of contradicting myself, I shall reply; I have been wrong once or more often, however I do not aspire to be always wrong.
Hope is the only good thing that disillusion respects.