James Wood, comp. Dictionary of Quotations. 1899.
Mirabeau
Don terrible de la familiarité—The terrible gift of familiarity.
Il est peu de distance de la roche Tarpéienne au Capitoie—It is but a short way from the Tarpeian rock to the Capitol.
Impossible! Ne me dites jamais ce bête de mot—Impossible! Never name to me that blockhead of a word.To his secretary Dumont.
In times of anarchy one may seem a despot in order to be a saviour.
It is of more importance to teach manners and customs than to establish laws and tribunals.
Je ne connais que trois moyens d’exister dans la société: être ou voleur, ou mendiant, ou salarié—I know only three means of subsisting in society: by stealing, begging, or receiving a salary.To the Clergy.
La raison seule peut faire des lois obligatoires et durables—Reason alone can render laws binding and stable.
La ruse est le talent des égoistes, et ne peut tromper que les sots que prennent la turbulence pour l’esprit, la gravité pour la prudence, effronterie pour le talent, l’orgueil pour la dignité?—Cunning is the accomplishment of the selfish, and can only impose upon silly people, who take bluster for sense, gravity for prudence, effrontery for talent, and pride for dignity.
Le grand art de la supériorité, c’est de saiser les hommes par leur bon côté—The great art of superiority is getting hold of people by their right side.
Malebranche saw all things in God, and M. Necker saw all things in Necker.
None but men of strong passions are capable of rising to greatness.
Not kings alone—the people too have their flatterers.
Nothing so effectively disconcerts the schemes of sinister people as the tranquillity of great souls.
Nous sommes assemblés par la volonté nationale, nous ne sortirons que par la force—We are here by the will of the people, and nothing but the force of bayonets shall send us hence.To the Marquis de Brésé.
Rien ne déconcerte plus efficacement les desseins des pervers, que la tranquillité des grands cœurs—Nothing so effectively baffles the schemes of evil men so much as the calm composure of great souls.
Si ce n’est pas là Dieu, c’est du moins son cousin-german—If that is not God, it is at least His cousin-german.Of the rising sun as he lay on his death-bed.
The unhappy (malheureux) are always wrong: wrong in being so, wrong in saying so, wrong in needing help of others, wrong in not being able to help them.
There are none but men of strong passions capable of going to greatness; none but such capable of meriting the public gratitude.