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Quotes from Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness — Émile Chartier

1868–1951 France

← All quotes by Émile Chartier

23 quotes

Happiness is a reward that comes to those that have not looked for it.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

One must preach life, not death; spread hope, not fear and cultivate joy, man's most valuable treasure. That is the secret of the greatest of the wise, and it will be the light of tomorrow.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Never be insolent unless it is a deliberate decision, and only toward a man more powerful than yourself.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Politeness is for people toward whom we feel indifferent, and moods, both good and bad, are for those we love.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Every menial condition is bearable as long as one can exercise authority over one's work and be assured that the job is permanent.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Work is the best and worst of all things; the best of it is voluntary, the worst of it is servile.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Certainly thinking is pleasant, but the pleasure of thinking must be subordinated to the art of making decisions.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

When the pack is out hunting, the dogs do not fight among themselves.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Idleness is the mother of all vices, but also of all virtues.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

We are advised and led along by second-rate moralists who only know how to work themselves into a delirium and pass their illness onto others.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

We must clear away, simplify, eradicate.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

It is very true that we ought to think of the happiness of others; but it is not often enough said that the best thing we can do for those who love us is to be happy ourselves.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

In short, the important thing is to get started. No matter how; then there will be time to ask yourself where you are going.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Any kind of barbarism, once established, will last.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

In short, the anomaly of war is that the best men get themselves killed while crafty men find their chance to govern in a manner contrary to justice.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Untie, liberate, and do not be afraid. He who is free is disarmed.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

An author of antiquity said that every event has two handles, and that, in order to carry it, there is no sense in choosing the one that hurts the hand.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Everybody continually tries to get away with as much as he can; and society is a marvelous machine which allows decent people to be cruel without realizing it.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Each one gave the other the only assistance one man can expect from another: that his friend support him and ask only that he remain himself. It is no great accomplishment to take people as they are, and we must always do so eventually, but to wish them to be as they are, that is a genuine love.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Our errors perish before we do. Let's not mummify them and keep them around.

Propos sur le bonheur [On Happiness (1928)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Émile Chartier (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.