Jean de La Fontaine

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Jean de La Fontaine (July 8, 1621 – April 13, 1695) is the most famous French fabulist and probably the most widely read French poet of the 17th century.

Contents 1 Sourced 1.1 Fables (1668-1679) 2 Attributed 3 External links

Sourced

Fables (1668-1679)

• We believe no evil till the evil's done.
  • Book I (1668), fable 8

• We heed no instincts but our own.
  • Book I (1668), fable 8

• The opinion of the strongest is always the best.
  • Book I (1668), fable 10

• Better to suffer than to die: that is mankind's motto.
  • Book I (1668), fable 16

• By the work one knows the workman.
  • Book I (1668), fable 21 (The Hornets And The Bees)
  • Variant: The artist by his work is known.

• I bend but do not break.
  • Book I (1668), fable 22

• It is a double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
  • Book II (1668), fable 15
  • Variant: It is twice the pleasure to deceive the deceiver.

• It is impossible to please all the world and one's father.
  • Book III (1668), fable 1

• In everything one must consider the end.
  • Book III (1668), fable 5

• Beware, as long as you live, of judging people by appearances.
  • Book VI (1668), fable 5

• On the wings of Time grief flies away.
  • Book VI (1668), fable 21

• The sign brings customers.
  • Book VII (1678-1679), fable 15

• Our destiny is frequently met in the very paths we take to avoid it.
  • Book VIII (1678-1679), fable 16 (The Horoscope)
  • Variant: A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.

• People who make no noise are dangerous.
  • Book VII (1678-1679), fable 23

• He knows the universe, and himself he does not know.
  • Book VIII (1678-1679), fable 26

• A hungry stomach cannot hear.
  • Book IX (1678-1679), fable 17

Attributed

• A pessimist and an optimist, so much the worse; so much the better.

• Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people.

• Be advised that all flatterers live at the expense of those who listen to them.

• Better a living beggar than a buried emperor.

• Death never takes the wise man by surprise, he is always ready to go.

• Dressed in the lion's skin, the ass spread terror far and wide.

• Every flatterer lives at the expense of him who listens to him.

• Every journalist owes tribute to the evil one.
  • Variant: Every journalist owes tribute to the devil.

• Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire.
  • Variant: Everyone believes very easily whatever he fears or desires.

• Everyone calls himself a friend, but only a fool relies on it; nothing is commoner than the name, nothing rarer than the thing.

• Everyone has his faults which he continually repeats; neither fear nor shame can cure them.

• Friendship is the shadow of the evening, which increases with the setting sun of life.

• Help thyself and Heaven will help thee.

• Let ignorance talk as it will, learning has its value.

• Let us not be so difficult; the most accommodating are the cleverest.

• Luck's always to blame.

• Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.

• Neither wealth or greatness render us happy.

• Never sell the bear's skin before one has killed the beast.

• Nothing is as dangerous as an ignorant friend; a wise enemy is to be preferred.
  • Variant: Nothing is more dangerous than a friend without discretion; even a prudent enemy is preferable.

• Nothing weighs on us so heavily as a secret.

• One returns to the place one came from.

• One should oblige everyone to the extent of one's ability. One often needs someone smaller than oneself.
  • Variant: One often has need of one, inferior to himself.

• Patience and time do more than strength or passion.

• People must help one another; it is nature's law.

• Rare as is true love, true friendship is rarer.

• Rather suffer than die is man's motto.

• Rely only on yourself; it is a common proverb.

• Sadness flies away on the wings of time.

• The ant is no lender; that is the least of her faults.

• The argument of the strongest is always the best.

• The fastidious are unfortunate; nothing satisfies them.

• The shortest works are always the best.

• There is no road of flowers leading to glory.

• There is nothing useless to men of sense.

• Thus oft a struggle to escape—But lands us in a still worse scrape.

• To live lightheartedly but not recklessly; to be gay without being boisterous; to be courageous without being bold; to show trust and cheerful resignation without fatalism— this is the art of living.

• To win a race, the swiftness of a dart availeth not without a timely start.

• We like to see others, but don't like others to see through us.

• We must laugh before we are happy, for fear we die before we laugh at all.

• We read on the foreheads of those who are surrounded by a foolish luxury, that fortune sells what she is thought to give.

External links

• Works by Jean de La Fontaine from Project Gutenberg

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