Quotes By Anatole France

Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.

One thing above all gives charm to men's thoughts, and this is unrest. A mind that is not uneasy irritates and bores me.

When a thing has been said and well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it.

Nature has no principles. She makes no distinction between good and evil.

The poor have to labour in the face of the majestic equality of the law, which forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself a fool.

What can be more foolish than to think that all this rare fabric of heaven and earth could come by chance, when all the skill of art is not able to make an oyster!

It is only the poor who pay cash, and that not from virtue, but because they are refused credit.

It is better to understand little than to misunderstand a lot.

Of all the sexual aberrations, chastity is the strangest.

Irony is the gaiety of reflection and the joy of wisdom.

The books that everybody admires are those that nobody reads.

History books that contain no lies are extremely dull.

The average man does not know what to do with this life, yet wants another one which will last forever.

An education which does not cultivate the will is an education that depraves the mind.

Ignorance and error are necessary to life, like bread and water.

Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.

Chance is perhaps the pseudonym of God when he did not want to sign.

It is human nature to think wisely and act in an absurd fashion.

Existence would be intolerable if we were never to dream.

The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.

Silence is the wit of fools.

The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.

Innocence most often is a good fortune and not a virtue.