Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Antoine de Rivarol, also known as Comte de Rivarol

French Journalist of Italian parentage

"Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky are best relieved by the letting of water."

"A panic is the stampede of our self-possession."

"Man spends his life in reasoning on the past, complaining of the present, and trembling for the future."

"Extremes produce reaction. Beware that our boasted civilization does not lapse into barbarism."

"Ideas are a capital that bears interest only in the hands of talent."

"It has been very truly said that the mob has many heads, but no brains."

"There are men who gain from their wealth only the fear of losing it."

"The methods that help a man acquire a fortune are the very ones that keep him from enjoying it."

"Vices are often habits rather than passions."

"To lose one’s self in revery, one must be either very happy or very unhappy. Revery is the child of extreme."

"The despotism of will in ideas is styled plan, project, character, obstinacy; its despotism in desires is called passion."

"The modest man has everything to gain, and the arrogant man has everything to lose; for modesty has always to deal with generosity, and arrogance with envy."

"The world is governed by love, self-love."

"Tenderness is the infancy of love."