“A fool is always troublesome, a man of sense perceives when he pleases or is tiresome; he goes away the very minute before it might have been thought he stayed too long.”
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Les Caractères (1688), De la société et de la conversation
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Jean de La Bruyère 65
17th-century French writer and philosopher 1645–1696Related quotes
“When a man is out of sight, it is not too long before he is out of mind.”
“And I'll stay away from Verlaine too; he was always chasing Rimbauds.”
"The Little Hours" in Here Lies (1939); this plays on the title of the popular song "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows"; Paul Verlaine was Arthur Rimbaud's lover.
1940s–present, A Mencken Chrestomathy (1949)
“The fool has one great advantage over a man of sense — he is always satisfied with himself.”
Napoleon : In His Own Words (1916)
The Last Gentleman (1966)
“A man should know something of his own country too, before he goes abroad.”
Book VII (1765), Ch. 2.
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1760-1767)
“He knew now that he had always been a fool.”
"O Russet Witch!"
Quoted, Tales of the Jazz Age (1922)
Context: Merlin went up-stairs very quietly at nine o'clock. When he was in his room and had closed the door tight he stood by it for a moment, his thin limbs trembling. He knew now that he had always been a fool.
"O Russet Witch!"
But it was too late. He had angered Providence by resisting too many temptations. There was nothing left but heaven, where he would meet only those who, like him, had wasted earth.