Quotes & anectdotes from the wise, the foolish, the courageous & the drunk

Paul Valery Philosopher

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: France
  • Born: Oct 30, 1871
  • Died: Jul 20, 1945

Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction, his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, music, and current events.

A poem is never finished, only abandoned. poetry

Politics is the art of preventing people from busying themselves with what is their own business. art, business & politics

The future, like everything else, is not what it used to be. the future

Our judgments judge us, and nothing reveals us, exposes our weaknesses, more ingeniously than the attitude of pronouncing upon our fellows. attitudes

The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be. the future & time

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. best & dreams

War: a massacre of people who don't know each other for the profit of people who know each other but don't massacre each other. war

God made everything out of nothing, but the nothingness shows through. God & religion

God created man and, finding him not sufficiently alone, gave him a companion to make him feel his solitude more keenly. being alone

Science means simply the aggregate of all the recipes that are always successful. All the rest is literature. science

The history of thought may be summed up in these words: it is absurd by what it seeks and great by what it finds. history

Love is being stupid together. love

Power without abuse loses its charm. power

History is the science of things which are not repeated. history & science

In poetry everything which must be said is almost impossible to say well. poetry

An artist never really finishes his work, he merely abandons it. art & work

Mother's Day May 12, 2025

Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. 22 wisdom & wit from Robert Browning

22 wisdom & wit from Robert Browning

A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. 53 other quotes from Honore de Balzac

53 other quotes from Honore de Balzac

With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood. 5 views from Isadora Duncan

5 views from Isadora Duncan

The babe at first feeds upon the mother's bosom, but it is always on her heart. 58 other quotes from Henry Ward Beecher

58 other quotes from Henry Ward Beecher