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A creature who is half an idiot, but who keeps a sharp look-out, and acts prudently all his life, often enjoys the pleasure of triumphing over men of imagination.

— Stendhal La Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma) (1839)

Un être à demi stupide, mais attentif, mais prudent tous les jours, goûte très-souvent le plaisir de triompher des hommes à imagination.

Original text (French)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Ch. 10

More quotes by Stendhal

I call "crystallization" that action of the mind that discovers fresh perfections in its beloved at every turn of events.

De L'Amour (On Love) (1822)

In love, unlike most other passions, the recollection of what you have had and lost is always better than what you can hope for in the future.

De L'Amour (On Love) (1822)

When a man leaves his mistress, he runs the risk of being betrayed two or three times daily.

Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black) (1830)

One can acquire everything in solitude — except character.

De L'Amour (On Love) (1822)

Any man who talks about his love affairs thereby proves he is ignorant of love and is moved only by vanity.

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Attribution

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