Woman is fine for her own satisfaction alone. No man will admire her the more, no woman will like her the better for it. Neatness and fashion are enough for the former, and a something of shabbiness or impropriety will be most endearing to the latter.
Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish… Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.
Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Why have only two or three ways of life, and not thousands? Every man is wanted, and no man is wanted much.
Wherever a man is, there will be a lie.
When you bring a man two millions of money, you need have but little fear that you will not be well received.[Lorsqu’on apporte à un particulier cinquante millions, il y a gros à parier que l’on sera bien reçu.]
When one wants to study men, one must consider those around one. But to study man, one must extend the range of one’s vision. One must first observe the differences in order to discover the properties.[Quand on veut étudier les hommes il faut regarder près de soi; mais pour étudier lʼhomme il faut apprendre à porter sa vue au loin; il faut dʼabord observer les différences pour découvrir les propriétés.]
When nature removes a great man, people explore the horizon for a successor; but none comes, and none will. His class is extinguished with him. In some other and quite different field the next man will appear.
When Nature begins to reveal her open secret to a man, he feels an irresistible longing for her worthiest interpreter, Art.
When Man and Woman die, as Poets sung, His Heart’s the last part moves, her last, the tongue.
When a woman isn’t beautiful, people always say, ‘You have lovely eyes, you have lovely hair.’[Когда женщина некрасива, то ей говорят: «у вас прекрасные глаза, у вас прекрасные волосы»…]
When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty.
