James Wood, comp. Dictionary of Quotations. 1899.
Fénelon
Children are very nice observers, and they will often perceive your slightest defects.
Little opportunities should be improved.
Make not a bosom friend of a melancholy sad soul…. He goes always heavy-loaded, and thou must bear half.
Many people are sincere without being simple. They do not wish to be taken for other than they are; and they always fear lest they should be taken for what they are not.
Most men I ask little from; I try to render them much, and to expect nothing in return, and I get very well out of the bargain.
Never let us be discouraged with ourselves. It is not when we are conscious of our faults that we are the most wicked; on the contrary, we are less so.
Real friends are our greatest joy and our greatest sorrow.
Simplicity is the straightforwardness of a soul which refuses to reflect on itself or its deeds. Many are sincere without being simple; they do not wish to be taken for other than they are, but they are always afraid of being taken for what they are not.
Sordid and infamous sensuality, the most dreadful of the evils that issued from the box of Pandora, corrupts every heart and eradicates every virtue.
We must avoid fastidiousness; neatness, when it is moderate, is a virtue; but when it is carried to an extreme, it narrows the mind.