Moliere

Moliere

17 quotes

The French playwright and actor Moliere is someone whose pithy observations have become part of everyday conversation. With equal ease, Moliere moved between Marriage and Great, finding connections others missed. 22 of Moliere's sharpest quotes live here, spanning themes of Marriage, Great, Best, Work, and Wisdom. To get a sense of their style, try: "Books and marriage go ill together."

“There are pretenders to piety as well as to courage.”

— Moliere

Courage

All Quotes by Moliere

“A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.”

— Moliere

Best

“Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money.”

— Moliere

Money

“We die only once, and for such a long time.”

— Moliere

Time

“Books and marriage go ill together.”

— Moliere

Marriage

“All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing.”

— Moliere

Great

“Ah! how annoying that the law doesn't allow a woman to change husbands just as one does shirts.”

— Moliere

Change

“A lover tries to stand in well with the pet dog of the house.”

— Moliere

Pet

“One should eat to live, not live to eat.”

— Moliere

Food

“The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”

— Moliere

Best

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

— Moliere

Great

“There are pretenders to piety as well as to courage.”

— Moliere

Courage

“If you suppress grief too much, it can well redouble.”

— Moliere

Sympathy

“I want to be distinguished from the rest to tell the truth, a friend to all mankind is not a friend for me.”

— Moliere

Truth

“Love is often the fruit of marriage.”

— Moliere

Marriage

“He who follows his lessons tastes a profound peace, and looks upon everybody as a bunch of manure.”

— Moliere

Peace

“The duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them.”

— Moliere

Men

“Some of the most famous books are the least worth reading. Their fame was due to their having done something that needed to be doing in their day. The work is done and the virtue of the book has expired.”

— Moliere

Famous