Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proustwas a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental novel À la recherche du temps perdu, published in seven parts between 1913 and 1927. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest authors...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth10 July 1871
CountryFrance
vices assuming virtue
There is probably no one, however rigid his virtue, who is not liable to find himself, by the complexity of circumstances, living at close quarters with the very vice which he himself has been most outspoken in condemning -- without altogether recognizing it beneath the disguise of ambiguous behavior which it assumes in his presence.
feelings assuming egotistical
Nobility is often no more than the inner aspect which our egotistical feelings assume when we have not yet named and classified them.
face features gestures hardly permanent
The features of our face are hardly more than gestures which have become permanent
according art artist aspects reality represent selective view
Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value-judgments. An artist recreates those aspects of reality which represent his fundamental view of man's nature.
consists discovery landscapes seeking voyage
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
advantage desires fresh future love mind piece secured since
There can be no piece of mind in love, since the advantage one has secured is never anything but a fresh starting-point for future desires
becomes moral soon unhappy
As soon as one is unhappy one becomes moral
contract disposal expand fills habit inspire passions remains time
The time which we have at our disposal every day is elastic; the passions we feel expand it, those that we inspire contract it, and habit fills up what remains
man power powerful
A powerful idea communicates some of its power to the man who contradicts it
actions difficult stellar universe
The stellar universe is not so difficult of comprehension as the real actions of other people.
good indeed parts seldom
It is seldom indeed that one parts on good terms, because if one were on good terms, one would not part
best second
We always end up doing the thing we are second best at.
generally habit proportion
The regularity of a habit is generally in proportion to its absurdity.
doctor illness knowledge pain pay promise whom
Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge we make promise only; pain we obey.