Great Throughts Treasury

"Idiots and lunatics see only their own wit."

"Ideas often flash across our minds more complete than we could make them after much labor."

"Idleness is more an infirmity of the mind than of the body."

"If I advance, follow me! If I retreat, kill me! If I die, avenge me!"

"If it requires great tact to speak to the purpose, it requires no less to know when to be silent."

"If it were not for the company of fools, a witty man would often be greatly at a loss."

"If there be a love pure and free from the admixture of our other passions, it is that which lies hidden in the bottom of our heart, and which we know not ourselves."

"If we are to judge of love by its consequences, it more nearly resembles hatred than friendship."

"If we did not flatter ourselves, the flattery of others could never harm us."

"If we judge love by most of its effects, it resembles rather hatred than affection."

"Imagination could never invent the number of different contradictions that exist innately in each person's heart."

"If we would not flatter ourselves, the flattery of others could not harm us."

"If you cannot find peace in yourself, it is useless to look for it elsewhere."

"In all professions each affects a look and an exterior to appear what he wishes the world to believe that he is. Thus we may say that the whole world is made up of appearances."

"In friendship as well as love, ignorance very often contributes more to our happiness than knowledge."

"In all aspects of life, we take on a part and an appearance to seem to be what we wish to be--and thus the world is merely composed of actors."

"In great affairs we ought to apply ourselves less to creating chances than to profiting from those that are offered."

"In love the deceit generally outstrips the distrust."

"In love we often doubt what we most believe."

"In the adversity of our best friends we often find something which does not displease us."

"In most of mankind gratitude is merely a secret hope of further favors."

"In the misfortunes of our best friends we always find something not altogether displeasing to us."

"In the human heart new passions are forever being born; the overthrow of one almost always means the rise of another."

"Indolence, languid as it is, often masters both passions and virtues."

"In the pursuits of women nothing plays a smaller part than love."

"In their early passions women are in love with the lover, later they are in love with love."

"Innocence does not find near so much protection as guilt."

"Innate ferocity is less cruel than self-love."

"Innocence finds not near so much protection as guilt."

"Interest blinds some people, and enlightens others."

"Interest speaks all languages, and acts all parts, even that of disinterestedness itself."

"Intrepidity is an extraordinary strength of mind, which raises it above the troubles, disorders, and emotions, which the sight of great perils is calculated to excite; it is by this strength that heroes maintain themselves in a tranquil state of mind, and preserve the free use of their reason under the most surprising and terrible circumstances."

"It appears that nature has hid at the bottom of our hearts talents and abilities unknown to us. It is only the passions that have the power of bringing them to light, and sometimes give us views more true and more perfect than art could possibly do."

"It is a kind of happiness to know just how unhappy we could be."

"It is a common fault never to be satisfied with our fortune, nor dissatisfied with our understanding."

"It is a great act of cleverness to be able to conceal one's being clever."

"It is almost always a fault of one who loves not to realize when he ceases to be loved."

"It is a species of coquetry to make a parade of never practicing it."

"It is a mistake to imagine, that the violent passions only, such as ambition and love, can triumph over the rest. Idleness, languid as it is, often masters them all; she influences all our designs and actions, and insensibly consumes and destroys both passions and virtues."

"It is a wearisome disease to preserve health by too strict a regimen."

"It is better to employ our minds in supporting the misfortunes which actually happen, than in anticipating those which may happen to us."

"It is better to bear the ills we have, than to anticipate those which may never come."

"It is as proper to have pride in oneself as it is ridiculous to show it to others."

"It is better to try to bear the ills we have, than to anticipate those which may never come."

"It is difficult to like those whom we do not esteem; but it is no less so to like ourselves."

"It is easier to appear worthy of a position one does not hold, than of the office which one fills."

"It is easier to know mankind in general than man individually."

"It is far better to be deceived than undeceived by those whom we tenderly love."

"It is easier to know men in general, than men in particular."

"It is far easier to know men than to know man."