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 liar is a man who does now know how to deceive, a flatterer one who only deceives fools: he who knows how to make skilful use of the truth, and understands its eloquence, can alone pride himself in cleverness.
Fools do not understand men of intelligence.
We must not be timid from a fear of committing faults: the greatest fault of all is to deprive oneself of experience.
Our failings sometimes bind us to one another as closely as could virtue itself.
It is difficult to esteem a man as highly as he would wish.
Faith is the consolation of the wretched and the terror of the happy.
The best things are the most common.
No one likes to be pitied for his faults.
Servitude debases men to the point where they end up liking it.
You must maintain strength of body in order to preserve strength of mind.
Clarity is the counterbalance of profound thoughts.
The maxims of men reveal their characters.
Lazy people are always anxious to be doing something.
Patience is the art of hoping.