Honor� de Balzac

France
20 May 1799 // 18 Aug 1850
Writer

Quotes

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A man's own vanity is a swindler that never lacks for a dupe
A lover teaches a wife all her husband has kept from her
A knowledge of mankind and of things that surround us gives us that second education which proves far move valuable than our first because it alone turns out a truly accomplished man
A great love is a credit opened in favor of a power so consuming that the moment of bankruptcy must inevitably occur
When women love us, they forgive us everything, even our crimes; when they do not love us, they give us credit for nothing, not even our virtues
We exaggerate misfortune and happiness alike. We are never as bad off or as happy as we say we are
Virtue, perhaps, is nothing more than politeness of soul
The more you judge, the less you love
The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness
The duration of passion is proportionate with the original resistance of the woman
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On Anger: "For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind."
Essays
On Destiny: "Our destiny exercises its influence over us even when, as yet, we have not learned its nature: it is our future that lays down the law of our today."
Human, All Too Human
On Friendship: "A crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love."
Essays