Quotes by French Authors | Beyond Motive 99/164

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Quotes by French Authors

"Good morning," said the little prince.Good morning," said the merchant.This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst. You need only swallow one pill a week, and you would feel no need for anything to drink.Why are you selling those?" asked the little prince.Because they save a tremendous amount of time," said the merchant. "Computations have been made by experts. With these pills, you save fifty-three minutes in every week."And what do I do with those fifty-three minutes?"Anything you like..."As for me," said the little prince to himself, "if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water."

"Good morning," said the little prince.Good morning," said the merchant.This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst. You need only swallow one pill a week, and you would feel no need for anything to drink.Why are you selling those?" asked the little prince.Because they save a tremendous amount of time," said the merchant. "Computations have been made by experts. With these pills, you save fifty-three minutes in every week."And what do I do with those fifty-three minutes?"Anything you like..."As for me," said the little prince to himself, "if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French Novelist

Time, Choice, Simplicity, Values

33

"If there is such a thing as a good marriage, it is because it resembles friendship rather than love."

"If there is such a thing as a good marriage, it is because it resembles friendship rather than love."

Michel de Montaigne, French Philosopher

Friendship, Love, Marriage

33

"The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor."

"The comfort of the rich depends upon an abundant supply of the poor."

Voltaire, French Writer

Inequality, Poverty, Wealth, Comfort, Injustice

33

"I do not exactly remember at what period I started my museum which absorbed so much of my time."

"I do not exactly remember at what period I started my museum which absorbed so much of my time."

Pierre Loti, French Writer

33

"We made it known that we were trying to show the reality of France. People think of Paris as the city of love or the city of light, but where you got love you got hate, where you got light you got darkness."

"We made it known that we were trying to show the reality of France. People think of Paris as the city of love or the city of light, but where you got love you got hate, where you got light you got darkness."

Mathieu Kassovitz, French Director

Love, People, Darkness, France

33

"The poet is a madman lost in adventure."

"The poet is a madman lost in adventure."

Paul Verlaine, French Poet

33

"Proof that they do not understand the republic is that in their fine promises for universal suffrage, they forgot women."

"Proof that they do not understand the republic is that in their fine promises for universal suffrage, they forgot women."

Delphine de Girardin, French Novelist

Woman, Women, Promises, Proof

33

"Cinema is still a very young art form with extraordinary techniques and very impressive special effects but sometimes it seems the soul has been taken out of things."

"Cinema is still a very young art form with extraordinary techniques and very impressive special effects but sometimes it seems the soul has been taken out of things."

Catherine Deneuve, French Actress

Art, Soul, Cinema

33

"A woman confronting men is a proper subject, it is inexhaustible."

"A woman confronting men is a proper subject, it is inexhaustible."

Claude Chabrol, French Director

Man, Men, Woman

33

"The human being is flesh and consciousness, body and soul; his heart is an abyss which can only be filled by that which is godly."

"The human being is flesh and consciousness, body and soul; his heart is an abyss which can only be filled by that which is godly."

Olivier Messiaen, French Composer

Soul, Heart, Being, Body

33

"I don't see any reason for marriage when there is divorce."

"I don't see any reason for marriage when there is divorce."

Catherine Deneuve, French Actress

Marriage, Divorce, Reason

33

"Love is space and time measured by the heart."

"Love is space and time measured by the heart."

Marcel Proust, French Author

Love, Time, Heart, Space

33

"Art is nature speeded up and God slowed down."

"Art is nature speeded up and God slowed down."

Malcolm De Chazal, French Writer

Nature, Art, God

33

"She [Mme des Laumes] belonged to that half of the human race in whom the curiosity the other half feels about the people it does not know is replaced by an interest in the people it does."

"She [Mme des Laumes] belonged to that half of the human race in whom the curiosity the other half feels about the people it does not know is replaced by an interest in the people it does."

Marcel Proust, French Author

Sociology, Curiosity, Interest, People, Knowledge

33

"I've had affairs. But I'm not the sort of man who has 10,000 affairs."

"I've had affairs. But I'm not the sort of man who has 10,000 affairs."

Gerard Depardieu, French Actor

33

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved."

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved."

George Sand, French Novelist

Happiness, Love, Life, May

33

"It doesn't matter if you have a desperate heart when you have to sing about joy; it doesn't matter if you're scared to death when the lights go on."

"It doesn't matter if you have a desperate heart when you have to sing about joy; it doesn't matter if you're scared to death when the lights go on."

Mireille Mathieu, French Musician

Death, Heart, Joy

33

"I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals."

"I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals."

Brigitte Bardot, French Actress

Beauty, Experience, Wisdom, Men

33

"My best moment? I have a lot of good moments but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan."

"My best moment? I have a lot of good moments but the one I prefer is when I kicked the hooligan."

Eric Cantona, French Athlete

Sports, Moments

33

"The world is full of fools; and he who would not wish to see one, must not only shut himself up alone, but must also break his looking-glass."

"The world is full of fools; and he who would not wish to see one, must not only shut himself up alone, but must also break his looking-glass."

Nicolas Boileau, French Poet

Fool, Fools, World

33

"This art of acting is a process I love very much. It's an unbelievably fulfilling experience for me and I look forward to building upon my art in the years to come."

"This art of acting is a process I love very much. It's an unbelievably fulfilling experience for me and I look forward to building upon my art in the years to come."

Greg Akcelrod, French Actor

Art, Experience, Love, Acting

33

"To say the word Romanticism is to say modern art - that is, intimacy, spirituality, color, aspiration towards the infinite, expressed by every means available to the arts."

"To say the word Romanticism is to say modern art - that is, intimacy, spirituality, color, aspiration towards the infinite, expressed by every means available to the arts."

Charles Baudelaire, French Poet

Art, Infinite, Intimacy, Spirituality

33

"Science, which is not so attached to 'truth' as it once was, ut more to immediate 'effectiveness', is now drifting towards a decline, it's civic fall from grace."

"Science, which is not so attached to 'truth' as it once was, ut more to immediate 'effectiveness', is now drifting towards a decline, it's civic fall from grace."

Paul Virilio, French Writer

Science, Grace, Now

33

"I was 4 years old when I sang in public for the very first time."

"I was 4 years old when I sang in public for the very first time."

Mireille Mathieu, French Musician

Time, First, Old, Public

33

"But theatre is always a difficult experience."

"But theatre is always a difficult experience."

Isabelle Huppert, French Actress

Experience, Theatre

33

"Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times."

"Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times."

Gustave Flaubert, French Novelist

History, Causes, Ignorance, Slander

33

"I am just like 99% of my friends in France, who say on their resume they can speak fluent English. In reality, they can't even count up to three."

"I am just like 99% of my friends in France, who say on their resume they can speak fluent English. In reality, they can't even count up to three."

Greg Akcelrod, French Actor

Language, France, Friends, Reality

33

"I have been inundated with offers to move into a career in television or film, and these, too, are tempting."

"I have been inundated with offers to move into a career in television or film, and these, too, are tempting."

David Ginola, French Athlete

Career, Film, Television

33

"God, if there is a God, take my soul, if I have a soul."

"God, if there is a God, take my soul, if I have a soul."

Ernest Renan, French Philosopher

33

"Let us beware of common folk, of common sense, of sentiment, of inspiration, and of the obvious."

"Let us beware of common folk, of common sense, of sentiment, of inspiration, and of the obvious."

Charles Baudelaire, French Poet

Inspirational, Inspiration, Commonsense, Folk, Obvious

33

"Reason and love are sworn enemies."

"Reason and love are sworn enemies."

Pierre Corneille, French Dramatist

Love, Enemies, Reason

33

"One must always draw, draw with the eyes, when one cannot draw with a pencil."

"One must always draw, draw with the eyes, when one cannot draw with a pencil."

Balthus, French Artist

33

"In order to exist, man must rebel, but rebellion must respect the limits that it discovers in itself - limits where minds meet, and in meeting, begin to exist."

"In order to exist, man must rebel, but rebellion must respect the limits that it discovers in itself - limits where minds meet, and in meeting, begin to exist."

Albert Camus, French Philosopher

Philosophy, Rebellion, Existence, Limit, Mind

33

"The free man is he who does not fear to go to the end of his thought."

"The free man is he who does not fear to go to the end of his thought."

Leon Blum, French Politician

Thought, Fear, End, Man

33

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is."

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is."

Albert Camus, French Philosopher

Faith, God, Life, Death

33

"Today's cinema is a global art form, it is impossible to make movies for a market the size of France, representing no more than 4% of the world's total."

"Today's cinema is a global art form, it is impossible to make movies for a market the size of France, representing no more than 4% of the world's total."

Jean-Jacques Annaud, French Director

Art, Movies, Cinema, France

33

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."

Voltaire, French Writer

Wisdom, Forbidden, Numbers, Sound

33

"I may have had a lot of luck in my life, but I still need to find a challenge in the game."

"I may have had a lot of luck in my life, but I still need to find a challenge in the game."

Zinedine Zidane, French Athlete

Life, Challenge, Luck, May

33

"Our wisdom comes from our experience, and our experience comes from our foolishness."

"Our wisdom comes from our experience, and our experience comes from our foolishness."

Sacha Guitry, French Director

Wisdom, Experience, Foolishness

33

"To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery."

"To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery."

Charles Baudelaire, French Poet

Language, Practice

33

"Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures-in this century as in others our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together."

"Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures-in this century as in others our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French Novelist

Man, Men, Accomplishments, Voice

33

"He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers."

"He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers."

Charles Peguy, French Philosopher

33

"With two thousand years of Christianity behind him... a man can't see a regiment of soldiers march past without going off the deep end. It starts off far too many ideas in his head."

"With two thousand years of Christianity behind him... a man can't see a regiment of soldiers march past without going off the deep end. It starts off far too many ideas in his head."

Louis-Ferdinand Celine, French Writer

Creativity, Ideas, Christianity, Deep, End

33

"I was very lucky, I was part of the post-war period when everything had to be redone."

"I was very lucky, I was part of the post-war period when everything had to be redone."

Pierre Cardin, French Designer

33

"Life is a succession of lessons enforced by immediate reward, or, oftener, by immediate chastisement."

"Life is a succession of lessons enforced by immediate reward, or, oftener, by immediate chastisement."

Ernest Dimnet, French Clergyman

33

"It was in the Papal States that I studied the Roman Question. I traveled over every part of the country; I conversed with men of all opinions, examined things very closely, and collected my information on the spot."

"It was in the Papal States that I studied the Roman Question. I traveled over every part of the country; I conversed with men of all opinions, examined things very closely, and collected my information on the spot."

Edmond About, French Novelist

Man, Men, Country, Information, Opinions

33

"Their films would probably be better if they'd seen a few more films, which runs counter to this idiotic theory that you run the risk of being influenced if you see too much."

"Their films would probably be better if they'd seen a few more films, which runs counter to this idiotic theory that you run the risk of being influenced if you see too much."

Jacques Rivette, French Director

Being, Risk, Theory

33

"Sport must be the heritage of all men and of all social classes."

"Sport must be the heritage of all men and of all social classes."

Pierre de Coubertin, French Leader

33

"Now, these eager and apprehensive men of small property constitute the class which is constantly increased by the equality of conditions. Hence, in democratic communities, the majority of the people do not clearly see what they have to gain by a revolution, but they continually and in a thousand ways feel that they might lose by one."

"Now, these eager and apprehensive men of small property constitute the class which is constantly increased by the equality of conditions. Hence, in democratic communities, the majority of the people do not clearly see what they have to gain by a revolution, but they continually and in a thousand ways feel that they might lose by one."

Alexis de Tocqueville, French Scientist

Politics, Democracy, Revolution, Perception, Risk

33

"Do all the work you can; that is the whole philosophy of the good way of life."

"Do all the work you can; that is the whole philosophy of the good way of life."

Eugene Delacroix, French Artist

Life, Work, Philosophy

33

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