Joseph Joubert

Reason leads man back to his instincts.

Little people have few passions, they hardly have anything but needs.

He must not cultivate his friends, but cultivate his friendships within himself. They must be kept, cared for, watered.

What is clear should not be drawn out too much. These useless explanations, these endless examinations are a kind of long whiteness and lead to boredom. It is the uniformity of a wall, of a long piece of laundry.

Maxims, because what is isolated can be seen better.

The breath of the mind is attention.

The talkative person is one who speaks more than he thinks. Someone who thinks a great deal and talks a great deal is never considered a talkative person. The talkative man speaks from his mouth, the eloquent man speaks from his heart.

There are words agreeable to the eye (in the same way there are words agreeable to the ear). By a fortunate combination of the letters that form them or by the harmony of these letters. For each letter has its shape.

The great inconvenience of new books is that they prevent us from reading the old ones.

There is an infinity of things one does well only through necessity.

When the last word is always the one that offers itself first, the work becomes difficult.

Animals love the people who talk to them.