Henri Fr�d�ric Amiel

Switzerland
27 Sep 1821 // 11 May 1881
Philosopher / Poet / Critic

Quotes

<< Prev Next >>

Common sense is the measure of the possible; it is composed of experience and prevision; it is calculation applied to life
Cleverness is serviceable for everything, sufficient for nothing
Clever people will recognize and tolerate nothing but cleverness
Charm is the quality in others, that makes us more satisfied with ourselves
Blessed be childhood, which brings down something of heaven into the midst of our rough earthliness
Any landscape is a condition of the spirit
Analysis kills spontaneity. The grain once ground into flour springs and germinates no more
Action is only coarsened thought; thought becomes concrete, obscure, and unconscious
Action and faith enslave thought, both of them in order not be troubled or inconvenienced by reflection, criticism, and doubt
Women wish to be loved without a why or a wherefore; not because they are pretty, or good, or well-bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves
<< Prev Next >>
Search

 

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