Marquise de Sablé in english {draft}

Maxims of Mme Marquise de Sablé

I

(Like)As nothing is weaker and less reasonable, than to submit our judgment to someone else, without any application of our own: Nothing is greater and more sensible than to submit it blindly to God, trusting on his word everything he says.

II

Real merit doesn’t depend on the times nor fashion. Those that haven’t any other advantage than the air of Athens, loose it when they are separated from it; But the good sense to know, and wisdom makes ability and likable in all times and all places.

III

Instead of being attentive to know others, we only think of making ourselves known. It would be more valuable to listen to acquire new lights, than to speak too much to show the one’s we have acquired.

IV

It is sometimes greatly useful to act duped: Because when we show to an artificial man that we recognize his artifices, we give him subject to augment them.

V

We judge so superficially of things, that agreement of actions and common speaking, said and done of a good air, with some knowledge of things that are happening in the world succeeds often better than the greatest ability.

VI

Being too content about ourselves is a weakness. Being too discontent about ourselves is a foolishness.

VII

Spirits that are mediocre, but badly made especially the half-knowledgeable, are the more subject to being opinionated. There’s only strong souls that know how to unsay, and abandon a bad party.

VIII

The greatest wisdom of man consist in knowing his madness.

IX

Honesty and sincerity in actions misleads bad guys(méchant), and makes them loose the way by which they think arriving at their ends, because scoundrels(méchant) ordinarily think we do nothing without artifices.

X

It is an arduous occupation for snakes to always have to cover the defect of their sincerity, and to fix the deficiency of their word.

XI

Those who always use artifice should at least use their judgment, to know that we cannot hide long an artificial conduct amongst skillful men, and always applied to discover it, even thought they pretend being duped, to hide the knowledge they have of it.

XII

Often the good we do creates enemies, and the ungrateful is rarely half thankful: Because he isn’t content upon not having the recognition he owe; He even wants to not have his benefactor for witness of his ungratefulness.

XIII

Nothing can instruct us better on the general deregulation of man, than the perfect knowledge of our particular derangement. If we would want to reflect on our sentiments, we would recognize in our soul, the principle of all the vices that we are reproaching others: if it isn’t by our actions, it would be at least by our movements. Cause there isn’t a bit of malice that self-love wouldn’t present to the spirit, to use it on occasions, and there is only a few people virtuous enough to not be tempted.

XIV

Riches don’t teach to not be passionate for riches. Possession of a lot of goods doesn’t give the rest that there is in not wanting any.

XV

There is only small spirits that cannot suffer that we reproach their ignorance, because they are ordinarily much blind in all things, much sot, and much ignorant, they never doubt of a thing and are persuaded that they are seeing clearly what they are seeing only through the obscurity of their spirit.

XVI

There is no other reason for accusing ourselves of our defects too much, than to excuse them too much. Those that accuse themselves in excess, often do it to prevent being accused of by vanity of making us believe that they know how to confess their faults.

XVII

It is a strength of spirit to admit our faults and our perfections; and it is a weakness to not remain in accord with the good or the bad that is within us.

XVIII

We like so much things new and extraordinary, that we even have some secret pleasure in seeing the most sad and terrible event, because of their novelty, and the natural malignity that is within us.

XIX

We could know ourselves, yet we don’t examine ourselves enough for that; and we worry more about appearing as we ought to, than being what we ought.

XX

If we had the same care to be what we ought to be, than in duping others by disguising what we are, we would be able to show ourselves as we are, without the burden to disguise.

XXI

There is no one that can’t receive great aid and great advantages of science: but there is also a few people who don’t receive a great prejudice of the lights and knowledge they acquired by science, if they don’t make use of her as if she were their own and natural.

XXII

There is a certain mediocrity hard to find with those that are above us, to take the liberty that serve in their pleasure and their entertainment without arming the honor and respect we owe them.

XXIII

We often have more the want to pass for official, than we have of succeeding in the offices; And often we like better to be able to say to our friends that we did good for them, than doing good in effect.

XXIV

Good success sometimes depend on the defect of judgment because the judgment often prevents undertaking many things that inconsideration makes succeed.

XXV

Sometimes we praise past events to blame the present ones, and to disdain what is we praise what is no more.

XXVI

There is a certain empire in the way of talking and in the actions, that takes place everywhere, and gains in advance the consideration and respect. It serves in all things, and even to obtain what we demand.

XXVII

This empire that serves in all thing, is only a beneficent authority that comes from superiority of spirit.

XXVIII

Self-love wrongs itself even by self-love, in showing in it’s interests a so great indifference in those of others that it looses the advantage that finds itself in the commerce of retribution.

XXIX

Everyone is so occupied with their passions and interests, that we always want to talk without ever entering into the passions and interests of the persons we are talking to, yet that they have the same need to be listened and assisted.

XXX

The links of virtue must be more narrow than those of blood, the men of good being closer to the men of good by resemblance of moeurs (style) than the son is close to his dad by resemblance of the visage.

XXXI

One of the things that makes it so that we find so few agreeable people, and that appear reasonable in the conversation is that there is that there’s almost non of them who won’t prefer to think about what they want to say, rather than replying precisely to what we are telling them. The most complaisant are content to show an attentive demeanor, at the same time as we are seeing in their eyes and in their spirit a bewilderment and a precipitation to return to what they wanted to say: instead that we ought to judge that it is a bad way to please, than to seek to satisfy ourselves so hard; and that listening well and replying well is a greater perfection than to speak well and a lot without listening, and without replying to the things we are told.

XXXII

Good fortune almost always makes some change in the process, in the air, and in the manner we converse and act. It is a great weakness to want to go without what isn’t ours. If we estimate virtue more than all things, not any favor nor any employ would ever change the earth nor the visage of men.

XXXIII

We must accommodate to other’s sottishness, and not shock ourselves of nidiness that are said in our presence.

XXXIV

The greatness of entendement (hearing) embrace everything. There is as much spirit in suffering other’s fault, than in recognizing their good quality.

XXXV

Knowing how to discover someone’s inside and hiding ours is a great mark of superiority of spirit.

XXXVI

Speaking too much is such a great fault, that in business matter and conversation, if what is good is short, it is doubly good, and we gain by the way of brevity what we often loose in the excess of paroles.

XXXVII

We almost always make ourselves master of those we know well, because one who is perfectly known, is in some fashion submitted to one that knows him.

XXXVIII

Study and research of the truth often only serve to show us by experience the ignorance that is natural to us.

XXXIX

We make more case of men when we don’t know up to where can their suffisance go: Cause we always presume more of things we only see halfway.

XL

Often the desire to appear capable prevents becoming so, because we are more eager to show what we know, than we have the desire to learn what we don’t know.

XLI

Smallness of the spirit, ignorance and presumption renders opinionated, because the opinionated believe only what they can conceive, and that they conceive but very few things.

XLII

It is augmenting our faults than to disadmit them when we get reproached.

XLIII

We must not look to what good a friend does us, but only the desire he has to render it.

XLIV

Again that we shouldn’t like our friend for the good they render us, it is a mark that they don’t like us, if they don’t do us any when they have the power to.

XLV

It isn’t either great praise, nor great blame, when we say that a spirit is or isn’t in fashion. If it is as it should be once, it always is as it should be.

XLVI

Love that we have for ourselves is almost always the rule of all our friendship. It has us go over all the our duties in encounter where there is some interest, and even forget the greatest subject of resentment against our enemies, when they become powerful enough to serve to our fortune or glory.

XLVII

It is a thing greatly vain and greatly useless to do the exam of everything that is happening in the world if it isn’t to be used in redressing ourselves.

XLVIII

The outside and circumstances often give more esteem than depth and reality. A bad manner complicates everything, even justice and reason. The how makes the better part of things, and the air we give them, gild, accommodate, and softens the worse ones.

XLIX

Other’s sottishness must be more and instruction, than a subject to mock the one’s that do them.

L

The conversation of gents who likes to regent, is very angersome. We must always be ready to adjourn to truth, and to receive her wherever she came from.

LI

We instruct ourselves just as much by the faults of others, than by their instruction. The example of imperfection serves almost as much in making our perfection, than the one of ability and of perfection.

LII

We like way more those that tend to imitate us, than those that task to equal us. Cause imitation is a mark of esteem, and the desire to be equal to others is a mark of envy.

LIII

It is a loadable address to make receive softly a refusal, by some civil parole, that repair the defect of the good that we can’t accord.

LIV

There is a lot of people who are so nez to say no, that the no always comes before everything we tell them. It renders them so disagreeable, still yet that they finally grant what we are asking, or consent to what we are saying, that they always loose the agreement that they could get if they haven’t so badly started.

LV

We must not always accord all things, nor to everyone. It is as loadable to refuse with reason, than to give à propos. It is in this that the no of some pleases more than the yes of others. The refusal accompanied with softness and of civility satisfies more a good heart, than a grace we accord with dryness.

LVI

There is spirit in knowing how to choose good counsel , as much as in acting of ourselves. The most judicious have less pain in consulting others feelings; and it is a sort of ability to know how to put ourselves under someone’s good conduct.

LVII

The maxims of the Christian life, that should only be sourced in the truth of the Evangile are almost always taught to us according to the natural spirit and the mood of those that teach them to us. The ones by the softness of their natural, the other by the sourness of their temperament, turn, and employ according to their sense the justice and misericorde of God.

LVIII

In the knowledge of human things, our spirit ought to never renders itself slave, ligating (s’assujetissant) to others fantasy. We must widen our liberty of judgment, and never put anything in our head by an authority that is purely human: when we are proposed the diversity of opinions we must choose, if it is the case (s’il y a lieu), if not, we ought to remain in doubt.

LIX

Contradiction must awoken attention, and not anger. We ought to listen and not run away from the one contradicting. Our cause must always be the truth, in any manner that she is shown to us.

LX

We are way more shocked by the ostentation that we make of dignity than the one of the person. It is a mark that we don’t deserve the jobs, when we make ourselves into a celebration: If we make ourselves valued it ought to be only by the eminence of virtue. The Greats are more in veneration by the qualities of their soul, than by the ones of their fortune.

LXI

There is nothing that hasn’t any perfection. It is the pleasure of good taste to find it in all things: But natural malignity often discovers a vice amongst many virtues, to reveal it and publish it, which is more a mark of bad natural, than an advantage of discernment; and it is to spend our life badly, than to always nourish on others imperfection.

LXII

There is a certain manner of listening to ourselves while speaking that always render disagreeable: Cause it is as great a folly to listen to ourselves whilst talking with others, than to talk whilst alone.

LXIII

There’s few advantage to please ourselves, when we please no one: Cause often the too great love we have for ourselves, is chastised by the despise (mépris) of others.

LXIV

There always hides enough self-love under the greatest devotion, to put a pin (des bornes) to charity.

LXV

There is people so blind, and who compliment themselves so much in all things, that they always believe as they desire, and also think to make believe to others everything they want: some bad (mechante) reason they employ to persuade, they are so preoccupied of it, that it seems to them that they only have to say it in a tone that is high and affirmative, to convince everyone of it.

LXVI

Ignorance gives weakness and fear (crainte): knowledge gives hardiesse and confidence: nothing astonishes a soul that knows all things with discernment.

LXVII

It is a common default to never be content of our fortune, nor discontent of our spirit.

LXVIII

There is something lowly in taking advantage of our quality and grandeur, to mock those who’m are subjected to us.

LXIX

When an opinionated starts to contest something, his spirits closes itself to anything that could enlighten it: contestation irritates it, no matter how just it is (quelque just qu’elle soit), it seems that he is frighten to find the truth.

LXX

The shame we have to find ourselves praised without basis, often gives subject to do the things we would never have done without it.

LXXI

It would be almost better that the Greats seek glory, and even vanity in good actions, than to not be touched by them: cause even if they aren’t being done by the principles of virtue, we at least get this advantage, that vanity makes them do what they wouldn’t without her.

LXXII

Those sottish enough to esteem themselves only by their nobleness, despise in some fashion what made them noble, because it is only the virtue of their ancestry that made the nobleness of their blood.

LXXIII

Self-love makes it so that we mistake ourselves in almost everything; that we intend to blame, and that we blame the same faults we aren’t correcting, either because we don’t know the bad that is within us, or that we always envisage it under the appearance of some good.

LXXIV

Virtue is not always where wee see actions that appear virtuous: we sometimes recognize a good only to establish our reputation, and to be more hardily ungrateful to good that we don’t want to recognize.

LXXV

When the Greats hopes to make believe they have a few good qualities they don’t have, it is dangerous to show that we doubt of it: Cause by removing them the hope to mislead (trompe) the eyes of the world, we remove them the desire to do the good actions that are conform to what they affect.

LXXVI

The better nature being without instructions, is always uncertain and blind. We ought to seek to attend to our instruction, to not be too timid nor too hardy by ignorance.

LXXVII

Society and even friendship of many men, is but a commerce that last only as long as the needs.

LXXVIII

Althought most friendship that are found in the world, don’t merit the name of friendship, we can however use them according to the needs, as a commerce with no certain end, and on which we are ordinarily mistaken.

LXXIX

Love everywhere he is, is always the master. It shapes the soul, the heart and the spirit, according to what he is. He is neither small nor big according to the heart and spirit he occupies, but according to what he is in himself: and it veritably seems that Love is to the soul of the one that loves what the soul is to the body of the one she animates.

LXXX

Love as such a particular character, that we can’t hide him where he is, nor pretended where he isn’t.

LXXXI

All great entertainment are dangerous to the christian life; but amongst all the ones that the world has invented, there is none that ought to be feared more than Comedy. It is a painting so natural and delicate of the passions, that she animates, and births them in our heart, and especially the one of Love, principally when we represent it as chaste and honest: cause the more innocent he appears to innocent souls, and the more they are able to be touched by him. We make ourselves at the same time a conscience founded on honesty and sentiments; and we imagine that it isn’t hurting purity, to love with such a wise love. In this way we exit Comedy with the heart so full of all the softness of love, and the spirit so persuaded of it’s innocence, that we are all prepared to receive our firsts impression, instead than seeking the occasion to birth them in the heart of someone, to receive the same pleasure and sacrifice that we saw so well represented on the theater.