One should never risk a joke, even of the mildest and most unexceptional charters — Jean de La Bruyere
A vain man finds it wise to speak good or ill of himself; a modest man does not talk of himself. — Jean de La Bruyere
The regeneration of society is the regeneration of society by individual education. — Jean de La Bruyere
A person’s worth in this world is estimated according to the value they put on themselves. — Jean de La Bruyere
When life is unhappy it is hard to endure, when it is happy it is terrible to think of it ending. — Jean de La Bruyere
Children have neither a past nor a future. Thus they enjoy the present, which seldom happens to us. — Jean de La Bruyere
If you wish to be held in esteem, you must associate only with those who are esteemable. — Jean de La Bruyere
Everything has been said, and we are more than seven thousand years of human thought too late. — Jean de La Bruyere
There are only two ways by which to rise in this world, either by one’s own industry or by the stupidity of others. — Jean de La Bruyere
Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity. — Jean de La Bruyere
If our life is unhappy it is painful to bear; if it is happy it is horrible to lose — Jean de La Bruyere
A man can keep a secret better than his own. A woman her own better than others. — Jean de La Bruyere
The pleasure we feel in criticizing robs us from being moved by very beautiful things. — Jean de La Bruyere
We should keep silent about those in power; to speak well of them almost implies flattery — Jean de La Bruyere
Making a book is a craft, like making a clock; it needs more than native wit to be an author. — Jean de La Bruyere