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Luc de
endow evil fortune greatest inflict men small talents
The greatest evil which fortune can inflict on men is to endow them with small talents and great ambition.
expressed french-novelist proof weak
When a thought is too weak to be expressed simply, it is a proof that it should be rejected.
good people surprised
Wicked people are always surprised to find ability in those that are good.
ability french-novelist surprised wicked
The wicked are always surprised to find ability in the good.
strong feelings opinion
Conscience, the organ of feeling which dominates us and of the opinions which rule us, is presumptuous in the strong, timid in the weak and unfortunate, uneasy in the undecided.
despair lasts weakness
Despair puts the last touch not only to our misery but also to our weakness.
enemy prosperity
Prosperity makes some friends and many enemies.
sleep mind indolence
Indolence is the sleep of the mind.
life pain pleasure
The shortness of life cannot dissuade us from its pleasures, nor console us for its pains.
kings animal rights
With kings, nations, and private individuals, the strongest assume to themselves rights over the weakest, and the same rule is followed by animals, by matter, by the elements, so that everything is performed in the universe by violence. And that order which we blame with some appearance of justice is the most universal, most absolute, most unchangeable, and most ancient law of nature.
philosophy passion men
The falsest of all philosophies is that which, under the pretext of delivering men from the embarrassment of their passions, counsels idleness and the abandonment and neglect of themselves.
reflection firm temperament
It is good to be firm by temperament and pliant by reflection.
perfection use clock
It is of no use to possess a lively wit if it is not of the right proportion: the perfection of a clock is not to go fast, but to be accurate.
causes deceiving neglect
The thought of death deceives us; for it causes us to neglect to live.