Anne Sophie Swetchine

“We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.”

“To be witty is not enough. One must possess sufficient wit to avoid having too much of it.”

“We must not only give what we have; we must also give what we are.”

“It is with nations as with individuals, those who know the least of others think the most of themselves.”

“A word of kindness is seldom spoken in vain. It is a seed which, even when dropped by chance, springs up a flower.”

“He who has never denied himself for the sake of giving, has but glanced at the joys of charity.”

“Life has its share of thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”

“True love is that which ennobles the personality, fortifies the heart, and sanctifies the existence.”

“Men of genius are often dull and inert in society; as the blazing meteor, when it descends to earth, is only a stone.”

“Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion.”

“Most of our faults are more pardonable than the means we use to conceal them.”

“To have what we want is riches, but to be able to do without is power.”

“We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more.”

“We are never so ridiculous by the qualities we have as by those we affect to have.”

“We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.”

“We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more.”

“Those who have suffered much are like those who know many languages; they have learned to understand and be understood by all.”

“We are nearer to the great than we think.”

“We often live under the same roof, but in different climates.”

“Love is the abridgment of all theology.”