Top Madeleine de Souvre, marquise de Sable Quotes

Madeleine de Souvre, marquise de Sable Biography

Madeleine de Souvré, marquise de Sablé (1599 – January 16, 1678), French writer, was the daughter of Gilles de Souvré, marquis de Courtenvaux, tutor of Louis XIII, and marshal of France.

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Madeleine de Souvre, marquise de Sable Quotes

Ignorance makes for weakness and fear; knowledge gives strength and confidence. Nothing surprises an intellect that knows all things with a sense of discrimination.

Confidence, Fear, Ignorance, Knowledge

The conversation of those who like to lord it over us is very disagreeable. But we should always be ready to graciously acknowledge the truth, no matter in what guise it comes to us.

Acknowledge, Like, Lord, Matter, Truth

Criticism should awaken our attention, not inflame our anger. We should listen to, and not flee from, those who contradict us. Truth should be our cause, no matter in what manner it comes to us.

Anger, Attention, Criticism, Listening, Matter

Just as there is no action weaker or more unreasonable than to submit one's judgment to another's, where there is no advantage to oneself, so also there is nothing greater or wiser than to place oneself unquestioningly under God's judgment by believing in every word He speaks.

Action, Believe, Justice, Nothing, Place, Unquestioningly

We need not regard what good a friend has done us, but only his desire to do us good.

Desire, Done, Friendship, Good, Good Friend

This imperiousness which aids us in all things is merely a fitting authority which comes from superior spirit.

Aids, Fitting, Merely, Spirit, Things

There is a certain manner of self-absorption in speaking that always renders the speaker disagreeable. For it is as great a folly to listen only to ourselves while we are carrying on a conversation with others as it is to talk to ourselves while we are alone.

Carrying On, Disagreeable, Listen, Listening, Self, Speaking

In knowledge of human affairs, we should never allow our minds to be enslaved by others by subjecting ourselves to their whims. We must maintain freedom of thought, and never accept anything of purely human authority into our heads. When we are presented with a diversity of opinions, we must choose, if we can; if we cannot, we must remain in doubt.

Allow, Choose, Diversity, Doubt, Mind, Minds

There is no more reason to accuse ourselves excessively of our failings than to excuse them overmuch. He who goes overboard in self-criticism often does so in order not to suffer others' criticisms, or else does so out of a kind of vanity that wishes to make others believe that he knows how to confess his faults.

Accuse, Believe, Kind, Overboard, Self, Vanity

Instead of taking care to acquaint ourselves with others, we only think of making ourselves known to them. It would be better to listen to other people in order to become enlightened rather than to speak so as to shine in front of them.

Acquaint, Known, Order, People, Speak, Thinking

Often the desire to appear competent impedes our ability to become competent, because we more anxious to display our knowledge than to learn what we do not know.

Anxious, Appear, Desire, Know, Knowledge, Learning

Nothing can tell us so much about the general lawlessness of humanity as a perfect acquaintance with our own immoderate behavior. If we would think over our own impulses, we would recognize in our own souls the guiding principle of all vices which we reproach in other people; and if it is not in our very actions, it will be present at least in our impulses. There is no malice that self-love will not offer to our spirits so that we may exploit any occasion, and there are few people virtuous enough not to be tempted.

General, Guiding Principles, Humanity, Present, Self, Thinking

Self-love is even deceived by self-love, because by looking out for our own interests and disregarding those of other people, we lose the advantage that comes with the exchange of favors.

Advantage, Exchange, Favors, Love Is, People, Self

We often value the exterior and superficial aspect of things more than their inner reality. Bad manners taint everything even justice and reason. The 'how' of things matters most, and even the most disagreeable matters can be sweetened and gilded over with the proper appearance. Such is the bias and the weakness of the human mind.

Justice, Matters, Mind, Reality, Superficial, Sweetened

It is a strength of character to acknowledge our failings and our strong points, and it is a weakness of character not to remain in harmony with both the good and the bad that is within us.

Character, Harmony, Remain, Strength, Strong, Weakness

Social intercourse, even friendship among most people, is a merely a business arrangement that lasts only so long as there is need.

Among, Arrangement, Business, Long, People

It is an admirable skill to able to sweeten a refusal with civil words which atone for the favor which we are not able to grant.

Able, Atone, Favors, Refusal, Skills, Sweeten

It is neither a great praise nor a great blame when people say a tendency is in or out of fashion. If a tendency is as it should be at one time, it is always as it should be.

Blame, Fashion, People, Time

There is always enough self-love hidden beneath the greatest devoutness to set limits on charity.

Charity, Devoutness, Greatest, Love, Self

There is nothing that does not have something perfect in it; and it is the happiness of good taste to be able to find this perfection in all things. But there is a natural malignity that often discovers a vice in the midst of several virtues, in order to reveal and proclaim the discovery to all the world - a quality that is more the mark of a naturally evil temperament than a superior sense of discrimination. And it is truly an evil lot, to pass one's life always feeding off the imperfections of others.

Discovery, Life, Midst, Order, Things

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Madeleine de Souvre, marquise de Sable Biography

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