Quotes from Forty Thousand Quotations — Johann Kaspar Lavater
1741–1801 Switzerland
← All quotes by Johann Kaspar Lavater
160 quotes
A fop of fashion is the mercer’s friend, the tailor’s fool, and his own foe.
Actions, looks, words, steps from the alphabet by which you may spell characters.
As the interest of man, so his God; as his God, so he.
As your enemies and your friends, so are you.
Be certain that he who has betrayed thee once will betray thee again.
Call him wise whose actions, words, and steps are all a clear because to a clear why.
Copiousness and simplicity, variety and unity, constitute real greatness of character.
Dread more the blunderer’s friendship than the calumniator’s enmity.
Habit is altogether too arbitrary a master for me to submit to.
He alone has energy that cannot be deprived of it.
He alone is an acute observer who can observe minutely without being observed.
He can feel no little wants who is in pursuit of grandeur.
He has oratory who ravishes his hearers while he forgets himself.
He scatters enjoyment who can enjoy much.
He who can conceal his joys is greater than he who can hide his griefs.
He who gives himself airs of importance exhibits the credentials of impotence.
He who goes round about in his requests wants commonly more than he chooses to appear to want.
Attribution
Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Johann Kaspar Lavater (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.