Quotes from Andre Maurois

There are very few really brilliant men who have not had at least one madman among their ancestors.

Only passions can raise a man above the level of the animal.

People are discontent; men are troubled; and the literature is excellent.

Marriage makes a man more vulnerable by doubling the expanse of sail exposed to the tempests of social life.

What men call friendship is only social intercourse, an exchange of favours and good offices; it comes down to a commercial dealing in which self-esteem always expects to profit.

I knew a man who had been virtually drowned and then revived. He said that his death had not been painful.

The need to express one's self in writing springs from a maladjustment of life, or from an inner conflict which the adolescent (or the grown man) cannot resolve in action.

Happiness is never there to stay [...] Happiness is merely a respite offered by inquietude.

Happiness flourishes where there is happiness...

If you create a character, you create a destiny.

Men and women are not born inconstant: they are made so by their early amorous experiences.

Learning is nothing without cultivated manners, but when the two are combined in a woman, you have one of the most exquisite products of civilization.

Old age is far more than white hair, wrinkles, the feeling that is is too late and the game finished, and the stage belongs to the rising generations. The true evil is not the weakening of the body, but the indifference of the soul.

Growing old is no more than a bad habit that a busy person has not time to form.

The effectiveness of work increases according to geometric progression if there are no interruptions.

Men and women are not born inconstant: they are made so by their early amorous experiences.

Modesty and unselfishness - these are virtues which men praise - and pass by.

There are certain persons for whom pure Truth is a poison.

The most important quality in a leader is that of being acknowledged as such. All leaders whose fitness is questioned are clearly lacking in force.

Self-pity comes so naturally to all of us. The most solid happiness can be shaken by the compassion of a fool.

A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short.

A marriage without conflicts is almost as inconceivable as a nation without crises.

Growing old is a bad habit which a busy man has no time to form.