Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux
Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, often known simply as Boileau, was a French poet and critic...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth1 November 1636
CountryFrance
wisdom lying differences
In spite of every sage whom Greece can show, Unerring wisdom never dwelt below; Folly in all of every age we see, The only difference lies in the degree.
giving gold poverty
Gold gives an appearance of beauty even to ugliness: but with poverty everything becomes frightful.
giving advice important
A fop sometimes gives important advice.
stars thinking heaven
It is in vain a daring author thinks of attaining to the heights of Parnassus if he does not feel the secret influence of heaven and if his natal star has not formed him to be a poet.
gold ugly
Gold lends a touch of beauty even to the ugly.
poverty poor
Everything that poverty touches becomes frightful.
work heart anvils
Hasten slowly, and without losing heart, put your work twenty times upon the anvil. [Fr., Hatez-vous lentement; et, sans perdre courage, Vingt fois sur le metier remettez votre ouvrage.]
thinking veils holiness
A proud bigot, who is vain enough to think that he can deceive even God by affected zeal, and throwing the veil of holiness over vices, damns all mankind by the word of his power.
fool plus admire
A fool always finds one still more foolish to admire him. [Fr., Un sot trouve toujours un plus sot qui l'admire.]
sin committed monstrous
It is the sin which we have not committed which seems the most monstrous.
islands honor plus
Honor is like an island, rugged and without shores; we can never re-enter it once we are on the outside. [Fr., L'honneur est comme une ile escarpee et sans bords; On n'y peut plus rentrer des qu'on en est dehors.]
fool suggestions sometimes
Sometimes a fool makes a good suggestion.
beauty beautiful truth
Nothing is really beautiful but truth, and truth alone is lovely.
one-day theatre lasts
Let a single complete action, in one place and one day, keep the theatre packed to the last.