Henri Fr�d�ric Amiel

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

Quotes

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Woman is the salvation or destruction of the family. She carries its destinies in the folds of her mantle
Without faith a man can do nothing. But faith can stifle all science
Wisdom consists in rising superior both to madness and to common sense, and in lending one's self to the universal delusion without becoming its dupe
To learn new habits is everything, for it is to reach the substance of life. Life is but a tissue of habits
To know how to suggest is the great art of teaching. To attain it we must be able to guess what will interest; we must learn to read the childish soul as we might a piece of music. Then, by simply changing the key, we keep up the attraction and vary the song
To do easily what is difficult for others is the mark of talent
Time is but the measure of the difficulty of a conception. Pure thought has scarcely any need of time, since it perceives the two ends of an idea almost at the same moment
The more a man loves, the more he suffers. The sum of possible grief for each soul is in proportion to its degree of perfection
Society rests upon conscience and not upon science
Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires but according to our powers
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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