Jean de La Fontaine

France
8 Jul 1621 // 13 Apr 1695
Fabulist / Poet

Quotes

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We become innocent when we are unfortunate
Better a living beggar than a buried emperor
No flowery road leads to glory
Blind fortune pursues inconsiderate rashness
Nothing is so oppressive as a secret: women find it difficult to keep one long; and I know a goodly number of men who are women in this regard
Gentleness succeeds better than violence
It is said, that the thing you possess is worth more than two you may have in the future. The one is sure and the other is not
Sensible people find nothing useless
Too many expedients may spoil an affair
Let us not overstrain our talents, lest we do nothing gracefully: a clown, whatever he may do, will never pass for a gentleman
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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