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A man who is half an idiot, but who keeps a sharp lookout and acts prudently all his life, often enjoys the pleasure of triumphing over men of more imagination than he.

Stendhal

Nothing is so hideous as an obsolete fashion.
STENDHAL

Fashion Hide
A novel is like a bow, and the violin that produces the sound is the reader’s soul.
STENDHAL

Novel Production Reading Soul Sound Violin
The Russians imitate French ways, but always at a distance of fifty years.
STENDHAL

Distance Imitation Time
Politics in a literary work, is like a gun shot in the middle of a concert, something vulgar, and however, something which is impossible to ignore.
STENDHAL

Ignorance Impossible Literature Politics Vulgar Work
It is not enough for a landscape to be interesting in itself. Eventually there must be a moral and historic interest.
STENDHAL

Enough History Interest Moral
I see but one rule: to be clear.
STENDHAL

Clear Rule See
Signs cannot be represented, in a spy’s report, so damningly as words.
STENDHAL

Report Representation Word
Pleasure is often spoiled by describing it.
STENDHAL

Description Happiness Spoil
The idea which tyrants find most useful is the idea of God.
STENDHAL

God Ideas Religion
One of the traits of genius is not to drag its thought through the rut worn by vulgar minds.
STENDHAL

Drag Genius Mindset Thinking Vulgar
Great ladies are no more spiteful than the average rich woman; but one acquires in their society a greater susceptibility, and feels more profoundly andmore irremediably, their unpleasant remarks.
STENDHAL

Average Feeling Greatness Lady Remark Rich Society Woman
The worst of prison life, he thought, was not being able to close his door.
STENDHAL

Close Himself Life Prison Thinking Worst
I am mad, I am going under, I must follow the advice of a friend, and pay no heed to myself.
STENDHAL

Advice Friendship Mad Myself Pay
The great majority of men, especially in France, both desire and possess a fashionable woman, much in the way one might own a fine horse – as a luxury befitting a young man.
STENDHAL

Animal Desire Fashion Greatness Luxury Majority Man Possession Woman Young
The English are, I think the most obtuse and barbarous people in the world
STENDHAL

Myself Nature People Thinking World
Man is not free to refuse to do the thing which gives him more pleasure than any other conceivable action.
STENDHAL

Action Freedom Man Pleasure Refusal

A man who is half an idiot, but who keeps a sharp lookout and acts prudently all his life, often enjoys the pleasure of triumphing over men of more imagination than he.

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A man who is half an idiot, but who keeps a sharp lookout and acts prudently all his life, often enjoys the pleasure of triumphing over men of more imagination than he.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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