Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux Quotes

In spite of every sage whom Greece can show, Unerring wisdom never dwelt below; Folly in all of every age we see, The only difference lies in the degree.

There is in human nature generally more of the fool than of the wise.

There are more fools than wise men, and even in a wise man there is more folly than wisdom.

He who hath not a dram of folly in his mixture hath pounds of much worse matter in his composition.

The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are.

Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.

Nobody's perfect, and to try to pretend you're perfect is an exhausting fool's errand.

We all do stupid things.

Three things have been difficult to tame: the oceans, fools and women. We may soon be able to tame the oceans; fools and women will take a little longer.

Man was made to be immortal; else, he could not survive being the fool he is.

Few of the many wise apothegms which have been uttered have prevented a single foolish action.

Human beings can always be relied upon to exert, with vigor, their God-given right to be stupid.

Pellet: “Men are all alike” Wendle: “Only some more than others”

Conservatives believe that human nature is what makes us imperfectible. Liberals believe that human nature can be changed and perfected.

Nothing surprises me, particularly men and their propensity to be fools.

In the common run of mankind, for one that is wise and good you find ten of a contrary character.

Men are so completely fools by necessity that he is but a fool in a higher strain of folly who does not confess his foolishness.

I can measure the motion of bodies but I cannot measure human folly.

Every one hath a foole in his sleeve.

Though marriage makes man and wife one flesh, it leaves 'em still two fools.

Considering how bad men are, it is wonderful how well they behave.

There had never been a shortage of fools in the world

Of all the animals which fly in the air, walk on the land, or swim in the sea, from Paris to Peru, from Japan to Rome, the most foolish animal in my opinion is man.

... it's always determined characters who make the greatest fools.