Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux

The wisest man is generally he who thinks himself the least so.

The wisest man is generally he who thinks himself the least so.

No one is satisfied with his fortune, nor dissatisfied with his
intellect.
[Fr., Nul n'est content de sa read more

No one is satisfied with his fortune, nor dissatisfied with his
intellect.
[Fr., Nul n'est content de sa fortune;
Ni mecontent de son esprit.]

Happy the poet who with ease can steer
From grave to gay, from lively to severe.
[Lat., read more

Happy the poet who with ease can steer
From grave to gay, from lively to severe.
[Lat., Heureux qui, dans ses vers, sait d'une voix legere
Passer du grave au doux, du plaisant au severe.]

Whatever we conceive well we express clearly, and words flow with
ease.
[Fr., Ce que l'on concoit bien read more

Whatever we conceive well we express clearly, and words flow with
ease.
[Fr., Ce que l'on concoit bien s'enonce clairement,
Et les mots pour le dire arrivent aisement.]

Virtue alone is the unerring sign of a noble soul.
[Fr., La vertu d'un coeur noble est la marque read more

Virtue alone is the unerring sign of a noble soul.
[Fr., La vertu d'un coeur noble est la marque certaine.]