Jean de La Fontaine
Jean de La Fontaine
Jean de La Fontainewas the most famous French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe and numerous alternative versions in France, and in French regional languages...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth8 July 1621
CountryFrance
foxes fowl captured
As sheepish as a fox captured by a fowl. [Fr., Honteux comme un renard qu'une poule aurait pris.]
house ruins faces
The ruins of a house may be repaired; why cannot those of the face?
suits blind fortune
Blind fortune pursues inconsiderate rashness. [Fr., Fortune aveugle suit aveugle hardiesse.]
eye criticism moles
Lynx-eyes toward our equals, and moles to ourselves. [Fr., Lynx envers nos pareils, et taupes envers nous.]
destiny men evil
The good, we do it; the evil, that is fortune; man is always right, and destiny always wrong.
talent
Let us not overstrain our talents, lest we do nothing gracefully.
innocence innocent unfortunate
We become innocent when we are unfortunate.
flower path glory
No path of flowers leads to glory.
behavior
We like to see others, but don't like others to see through us.
hell pleasure
To hell with pleasure that's haunted by fear.
distance
From a distance it is something; and nearby it is nothing.
secret
Nothing weighs on us so heavily as a secret.
gratitude cat winning
No favor can win gratitude from a cat.
suffering dies
Better to suffer than to die.