When a man puts on a Character he is a stranger to, there's as much difference between what he appears, and what he is really in himself, as there is between a VIzor and a Face.

Hypocrisy Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (ch. XI)

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We trust our secrets to our friends, but they escape from us in love. [Fr., L'on confie son secret dans l'amitie, mais il echappe dans l'amour.]

Secrecy Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (IV)

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When a secret is revealed, it is the fault of the man who confided it.

Secrecy Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (V)

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The rarest things in the world, next to a spirit of discernment, are diamonds and pearls. [Fr., Apres l'esprit de discernement, ce qu'il y a au monde de plus rare, ce sont les diamants et les perles.]

Pearls Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (XII)

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A judge's duty is to grant justice, but his practice is to delay it: even those judges who know their duty adhere to the general practice. [Fr., Le devoir des juges est de rendre justice, leur metier est de la differer; quelques uns savent leur devoir, et font leur metier.]

Judges Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres

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If Poverty is the Mother of Crimes, want of Sense is the Father.

Sense Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (vol. II, ch. II)

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Between good sense and good taste there is the difference between cause and effect. [Fr., Entre le bon sens et le bon gout il y a la difference de la cause a son effet.]

Sense Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (XII)

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Rarely do they appear great before their valets. [Fr., Rarement ils sont grands vis-a-vis de leur valets-de-chambre.]

Heroes Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres

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The rarest things in the world, next to a spirit of discernment, are diamonds and pearls. [Fr., Apres l'esprit de discernement, ce qu'il y a au monde de plus rare, ce sont les diamants et les perles.]

Jewels Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (XII)

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Languages are no more than the keys of Sciences. He who despises one, slights the other.

Linguists Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (ch. XII)

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Men blush less for their crimes than for their weaknesses and vanity. [Fr., Les hommes rougissent moins de leur crimes que de leurs faiblesses et de leur vanite.]

Blushes Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (II)

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The wise man sometimes flees from society from fear of being bored.

Society Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (V)

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The court is like a palace built of marble; I mean that it is made up of very hard but very polished people. [Fr., La cour est comme un edifice bati de marbre; je veux dire qu'elle est composee d'hommes fort durs mais fort polis.]

Royalty Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (VIII)

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We must laugh before we are happy, for fear we die before we laugh at all.

Laughter Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (ch. IV)

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Modesty is to merit, what shade is to figures in a picture; it gives it strength and makes it stand out.

Modesty Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (ch. II, sec. 17)

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You think him to be your dupe; if he feigns to be so who is the greater dupe, he or you? [Fr., Vous le croyez votre dupe: s'il feint de l'etre, qui est plus dupe, de lui ou de vous?]

Deceit Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (V)

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We never deceive for a good purpose: knavery adds malice to falsehood. [Fr., On ne trompe point en bien; la fourberie ajoute la malice au mensonge.]

Deceit Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (XI)

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The favor of princes does not preclude the existence of merit, and yet does not prove that it exists. [Fr., La faveur des princes n'exclut pas le merite, et ne le suppose pas aussi.]

Merit Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (XII)

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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.]

Merit Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere , Source: Les Caracteres (XII)

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Liberality consists less in giving a great deal than in gifts well-timed.

Generosity Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere

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All men's misfortunes spring from their hatred of being alone.

Misfortune Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere

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A slave has but one master. An ambitious man has as many as there are people who helped him get his fortune.

Ambition Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere

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Children have neither past nor future; and that which seldom happens to us, they rejoice in the present.

Children Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere

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Out of difficulties grow miracles.

Miracles Quotes, by Jean de la Bruyere

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