Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Paul Valery Philosopher

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: France
  • Born: Oct 30, 1871
  • Died: Jul 20, 1945

Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction, his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, music, and current events.

War: a massacre of people who don't know each other for the profit of people who know each other but don't massacre each other. war

Love is being stupid together. love

In poetry everything which must be said is almost impossible to say well. poetry

The future, like everything else, is not what it used to be. future

An artist never really finishes his work, he merely abandons it. art & work

God created man and, finding him not sufficiently alone, gave him a companion to make him feel his solitude more keenly. alone

Science means simply the aggregate of all the recipes that are always successful. All the rest is literature. science

History is the science of things which are not repeated. history & science

A poem is never finished, only abandoned. poetry

The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be. future & time

Our judgments judge us, and nothing reveals us, exposes our weaknesses, more ingeniously than the attitude of pronouncing upon our fellows. attitude

Politics is the art of preventing people from busying themselves with what is their own business. art, business & politics

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. best & dreams

God made everything out of nothing, but the nothingness shows through. God & religion

The history of thought may be summed up in these words: it is absurd by what it seeks and great by what it finds. history

Power without abuse loses its charm. power