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The favor of princes does not preclude the existence of merit, and yet does not prove that it exists.

— Jean de La Bruyère

La faveur des princes n'exclut pas le mérite, et ne le suppose pas aussi.

Original text (French)

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More quotes by Jean de La Bruyère

Wise men sometimes avoid the world, that they may not be surfeited with it.

Les Caractères (1688)

A wise man is cured of ambition by ambition itself; his aim is so exalted that riches, office, fortune, and favor cannot satisfy him.

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An intelligent man neither allows himself to be controlled nor attempts to control others; he wishes reason alone to rule, and that always.

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Time, which strengthens friendship, weakens love.

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There is, however, nothing wanting to the idleness of a philosopher but a better name, and that meditation, conversation, and reading should be called “work.”

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Jean de La Bruyère (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.