Lord Chesterfield
Lord Chesterfield
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield KG PCwas a British statesman, and a man of letters, and wit. He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Chesterfield, and Lady Elizabeth Savile, and known as Lord Stanhope until the death of his father, in 1726. Educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he subsequently embarked on the Grand Tour of the Continent, to complete his education as a nobleman, by exposure to the cultural legacies of Classical antiquity and...
feelings temptation age
I am in the pitiable situation of feeling all the force of temptation without having the strength to succumb to it.
retirement age may
Singularity is only pardonable in old age and retirement; I may now be as singular as I please, but you may not.
friends art war
One of the greatest difficulties in civil war is, that more art is required to know what should be concealed from our friends, than what ought to be done against our enemies.
advice tone conformity
Take the tone of the company you are in.
persuasion conviction convincing
If you would convince others, seem open to conviction yourself.
cottages vices court
Let them show me a cottage where there are not the same vices of which they accuse the courts.
time flying hours
Swift speedy time, feathered with flying hours, Dissolves the beauty of the fairest brow.
mankind
To govern mankind, one must not overrate them.
learning people watches
Never seem wiser, nor more learned, than the people you are with. Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket: and do not merely pull it out and strike it; merely to show that you have one.
country travel nature
The world is a country which nobody ever yet knew by description; one must travel through it one's self to be acquainted with it.
anticipation danger invites
Fear manifested invites danger...
scandal thieves cases
In the case of scandal, as in that of robbery, the receiver is always thought as bad as the thief.
pleasure
Choose your pleasures for yourself, and do not let them be imposed upon you.
common-sense truth-is uncommon
Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the best sense I know of: abide by it; it will counsel you best.