Marquise De Merteuil Quotes

To punish you for your suspicions, I shall leave you to live with them: I shan't tell you anything at all. ~ Pierre Choderlos De Laclos

Contrary to conventional wisdom, opportunity always knocks more than once whereas a false step can never be retraced. ~ Pierre Choderlos De Laclos

When one woman strikes at the heart of another, she seldom misses, and the wound is invariably fatal. ~ Pierre-Ambroise Choderlos De Laclos

Marquise de Merteuil: I've distilled every thing to one single principle: win or die. ~ Pierre-Ambroise Choderlos De Laclos

Pleasure and pain, the good and the bad, are so intermixed that we can not shun the one without depriving ourselves of the other. ~ Francoise D'Aubigne, Marquise De Maintenon

It is thus that we walk through the world like the blind, not knowing whither we are going, regarding as bad what is good, regarding as good what is bad, and ever in entire ignorance. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

We prefer people who are trying to imitate us more than those who are trying to equal us. This is because imitation is a sign of esteem, but the desire to equal others is a sign of envy. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

Madame de Merteuil, though indeed a woman highly regarded, has perhaps only one fault: she overestimates her ability; she's a skilful driver who enjoys guiding her chariot between rocks and precipices and whose sole justification is that she remains unscathed. We can certainly praise but it would be unwise to follow her; she agrees with that view and condemns herself for it. ~ Pierre-Ambroise Choderlos De Laclos

When High and Mighty people want to make us believe that they possess some good quality which they in fact do not have, it is dangerous to show that you doubt them; because, by removing their hope of deceiving the world, you also remove their desire to perform the good acts that might have arisen from their very pretensions. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

I pity those who have no taste for reading ... ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Gloom and sadness are poison to us, and the origin of hysterics. You are right in thinking that this disease is in the imagination; you have defined it perfectly; it is vexation which causes it to spring up, and fear that supports it. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Faith is a devout belief in what one does not understand. ~ Marie Anne De Vichy-Chamrond, Marquise Du Deffand

Providence conducts us with so much kindness through the different periods of our life, that we scarcely feel the change; our days glide gently and imperceptibly along, like the motion of the hour-hand, which we cannot discover ... we advance gradually; we are the same to-day as yesterday, and to-morrow as to-day: thus we go on, without perceiving it, which is a miracle of the Providence I adore. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Faith creates the virtues in which it believes. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Death makes us all equal ... ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Often the desire to appear competent impedes our ability to become competent, because we more anxious to display our knowledge than to learn what we do not know. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

Contempt is the only way to triumph over calumny. ~ Francoise D'Aubigne, Marquise De Maintenon

It is neither a great praise nor a great blame when people say a tendency is in or out of fashion. If a tendency is as it should be at one time, it is always as it should be. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

When we reckon without Providence, we must frequently reckon twice. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Although we should not love our friends for the good that they do us, it is a sign that they do not love us much if they do not do us good when they have the power to do so. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

He who uses trickery should at least make use of his judgment to learn that he can scarcely hide treacherous conduct for very long among clever men who are determined to find him out, although they may pretend to be deceived in order to disguise their knowledge of his deceitfulness. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

There is nothing that does not have something perfect in it; and it is the happiness of good taste to be able to find this perfection in all things. But there is a natural malignity that often discovers a vice in the midst of several virtues, in order to reveal and proclaim the discovery to all the world - a quality that is more the mark of a naturally evil temperament than a superior sense of discrimination. And it is truly an evil lot, to pass one's life always feeding off the imperfections of others. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

Woman softens her own troubles by generously solacing those of others. ~ Francoise D'Aubigne, Marquise De Maintenon

True friendship is never serene. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Even the best-natured people, if uninstructed, are always blind and uncertain. We must take pains to instruct ourselves so that ignorance makes us neither too timid nor too bold. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

There is a certain imperiousness, in the manner of speaking and in actions, which makes itself felt everywhere, and soon wins attention and respect. This commanding quality is useful in all affairs, and even for obtaining what we ask for. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

It is with many enterprises as with striking fire; we do not meet with success except by reiterated efforts, and often at the instant when we despaired of success. ~ Francoise D'Aubigne, Marquise De Maintenon

There is as much wisdom in soliciting good counsel as in giving it. The most sensible people are not reluctant to consider the feelings of other people; and to know how to submit to the wise guidance of others is a kind of wisdom in itself. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

The days, and the months, and the years, pass so swiftly, that I can no longer retain them. Time, in its flight, hurries me away, in spite of myself; in vain I endeavor to stop him, he drags me along: the thought of this alarms me. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

There are twelve hours in the day, and above fifty in the night. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

We would often rather seem dutiful to others than to succeed in our duties; and often we would rather tell our friends that we have done them good than to do good in actuality. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

Mean-spirited mediocrities, especially those with a smattering of learning, are the most likely to be opinionated. Only strong minds know how to correct their opinions and abandon a bad position. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

Matrimony is a very dangerous disorder; I had rather drink. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Criticism should awaken our attention, not inflame our anger. We should listen to, and not flee from, those who contradict us. Truth should be our cause, no matter in what manner it comes to us. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

If we could have a little patience, we should escape much mortification; time takes away as much as it gives. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

Everyone is so caught up in his own passions and interests that he always wants to talk about them without getting involved in the passions and interests of those to whom he speaks, although his listeners have the same need for others to listen to and help them. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

As for me, said the little marquise, I am too used to being a girl, and I want to remain one all my life. How could I bring myself to wear a man's hat?

And I, said the marquis, have used a sword more than once without disgracing myself. I'll tell you about my adventures some day. Let's continue as we are, then. Beautiful marquise, enjoy all the pleasures of your sex, and I shall enjoy all the pleasures of mine. ~ Francois-Timoleon De Choisy

We are never satisfied with having done well; and in endeavoring to do better, we do much worse. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne

We need not regard what good a friend has done us, but only his desire to do us good. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

I hear nothings, I speak nothings, I take interest in nothing and from nothing to nothing I travel gently down the dull way which leads to becoming nothing. ~ Marie Anne De Vichy-Chamrond, Marquise Du Deffand

There are many people who are so inclined to say "no" that the "no" always precedes whatever we say to them. This negative quality makes them so disagreeable that, even if they do what we want them to or agree with what we say, they always lose the pleasure that they might have received had they not started off so badly. ~ Madeleine De Souvre, Marquise De ...

Impromptu thoughts are mental wild-flowers. ~ Marie Anne De Vichy-Chamrond, Marquise Du Deffand

Religious people spend so much time with their confessors because they like to talk about themselves. ~ Marie De Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise De Sevigne