Jean de la Bruyère (French: [ʒɑ̃ də la bʁyjɛʁ]; 16 August 1645 – 11 May 1696) was a French philosopher and moralist, who was noted for his satire.
Great things only require to be simply told, for they are spoiled by emphasis; but little things should be clothed in lofty language, as they are only kept up by expression, tone of voice, and style of delivery.
The best way to get on in the world is to make people believe it's to their advantage to help you.
Women become attached to men by the intimacies they grant them; men are cured of their love by the same intimacies.
A man is rich whose income is larger than his expenses, and he is poor if his expenses are greater than his income.
The pleasure we feel in criticizing robs us from being moved by very beautiful things.
The great charm of conversation consists less in the display of one's own wit and intelligence than in the power to draw forth the resources of others.
The pleasure a man of honor enjoys in the consciousness of having performed his duty is a reward he pays himself for all his pains.
Most men make use of the first part of their life to render the last part miserable.
The same principle leads us to neglect a man of merit that induces us to admire a fool. [Fr. , Du meme fonds dont on neglige un homme de merite l'on sait encore admirer un sot. ]
Discretion is the perfection of reason, and a guide to us in all the duties of life; cunning is a kind of instinct, that only looks out after our immediate interests and welfare. Discretion is only found in men of strong sense and good understanding; cunning is often to be met with in brutes themselves, and in persons who are but the fewest removes from them.
There are some men who turn a deaf ear to reason and good advice, and willfully go wrong for fear of being controlled.
A man can deceive a woman by his sham attachment to her provided he does not have a real attachment elsewhere.
Eloquence may be found in conversations and in all kinds of writings; it is rarely found when looked for, and sometimes discovered where it is least expected.
He who excels in his art so as to carry it to the utmost height of perfection of which it is capable may be said in some measure to go beyond it: his transcendent productions admit of no appellations.
Duty is what goes most against the grain, because in doing that we do only what we are strictly obliged to, and are seldom much praised for it.
Death happens but once, yet we feel it every moment of our lives; it is worse to dread it than to suffer it.
He who can wait for what he desires takes the course not to be exceedingly grieved if he fails of it; he, on the contrary, who labors after a thing too impatiently thinks the success when it comes is not a recompense equal to all the pains he has been at about it.
It is not so easy to obtain a reputation by a perfect work as to enhance the value of an indifferent one by a reputation already acquired.
The fear of old age disturbs us, yet we are not certain of becoming old.
Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness.