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Venerate four characters: the sanguine, who has checked volatility and the rage for pleasure; the choleric, who has subdued passion and pride; the phlegmatic, emerged from indolence; and the melancholy, who has dismissed avarice, suspicion and asperity.

— Johann Kaspar Lavater Aphorisms on Man (1788)

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More quotes by Johann Kaspar Lavater

Let none turn over books, or roam the stars in quest of God, who sees him not in man.

Aphorisms on Man (1788)

Where there is much pretension, much has been borrowed — nature never pretends.

Aphorisms on Man (1788)

If you see one cold and vehement at the same time, set him down for a fanatic.

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All affectation is the vain and ridiculous attempt of poverty to appear rich.

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Good can be done by the bad — but the good alone can be good.

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