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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

True love makes the thought of death frequent, easy, without terrors; it merely becomes the standard of comparison, the price one would pay for many things.
STENDHAL

Comparison Death Love Pay Standard Thinking True
Prudery is a kind of avarice, the worst of all.
STENDHAL

Kind Vice Worst
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
Love has always been the most important business in my life; I should say the only one.
STENDHAL

Business Important Life Love Myself Oneself
Now that the steam engine rules the world, a title is an absurdity, still I am all dressed up in this title. It will crush me if Ido not support it. The title attracts attention to myself.
STENDHAL

Attention Attraction Engine Myself Rule Steam Support Weird World
I do not feel I have wisdom enough yet to love what is ugly.
STENDHAL

Enough Feeling Love Myself Ugly Wisdom
A wise woman never yields by appointment. It should always be an unforeseen happiness.
STENDHAL

Appointment Happiness Wisdom Woman
Nothing is so hideous as an obsolete fashion.
STENDHAL

Fashion Hide
Life is very short, and it ought not to be spent crawling at the feet of miserable scoundrels.
STENDHAL

Life Misery Short Time
The boredom of married life inevitable destroys love, when love has preceded marriage.
STENDHAL

Boredom Destroy Herself Marriage Youth
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
I think being condemned to death is the only real distinction,” said Mathilde. “It is the only thing which cannot be bought.
STENDHAL

Bought Death Reality Thinking
There is no such thing as “natural law”: this expression is nothing but old nonsense… Prior to laws, what is natural is only the strength of the lion, or the need of the creature suffering from hunger or cold, in short, need.
STENDHAL

Cold Hungry Law Natural Need Strength Suffering
This religion takes away the courage of thinking of unusual things and prohibits self-examination above all as the most egregious of sins. It is one step away from protestantism.
STENDHAL

Courage Examination Myself Religion Sin Thinking
The more one pleases everybody, the less one pleases profoundly.
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Obedience Oneself Please
Every true passion thinks only of itself.
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Passion Thinking True
A good book is an event in my life.
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Book Goodness Life
The tyranny of public opinion (and what an opinion!) is as fatuous in the small towns of France as it is in the United States of America.
STENDHAL

Opinion Public Small Unity
If you want to be witty, work on your character and say what you think on every occasion.
STENDHAL

Character Occasion Thinking Work Yourself
I used to think of deathlike I suppose soldiers think of it: it was a possible thing that I could well avoid by my skill.
STENDHAL

Avoid Death Possible Skill Soldier Thinking
The man of genius is he and he alone who finds such joy in his art that he will work at it come hell or high water.
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Alone Art Genius Himself Man Water
I see but one rule: to be clear.
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Clear Rule See
Our true passions are selfish.
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One Liner Ourselves Passion Selfish
God’s only excuse is that he does not exist.
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Excuse Existence God Himself
The difference breeds hatred.
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Breed Difference Hate One Liner
Napoleon was indeed the man sent by God to help the youth of France! Who is to take his place?
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God Help Man Place Youth
If you think of paying court to the men in power, your eternal ruin is assured.
STENDHAL

Assurance Court Forever Man Pay Power Ruin Thinking

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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