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Charles de Montesquieu

Quote of Charles de Montesquieu - If we only wanted to be...


Biography - Charles de Montesquieu:

French man of letters and political philosopher.
Born: 1689 - Died: 1755
Period:
18th century
17th century
Place of birth: France
France

If we only wanted to be happy, it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, and that is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.



Translation

Translation

(French, German)



French
Si on ne voulait qu’être heureux, cela serait bientôt fait. Mais on veut être plus heureux que les autres et cela est presque toujours difficile parce que nous croyons les autres plus heureux qu’ils ne sont.

German
Man will nicht nur glücklich sein, sondern glücklicher als die anderen. Und das ist deshalb so schwer, weil wir die anderen für glücklicher halten, als sie sind.




See also 

See also...



Happiness is in the taste, and not in the things themselves; we are happy from possessing what we like, not from possessing what others like.

How happy many people would be if they cared about other people's affairs as little as about their own.




Quotes for: happiness


Quotes

Quotes about happiness:


I have decided to be happy because it's good for my health.





Happiness is sometimes hidden in the unknown.





The world of the happy man is a different one from that of the unhappy man.





Happiness is not easily won; it is hard to find it in ourselves and impossible to find it elsewhere.





A happy life, therefore, is one which is in accordance with its own nature.





Nothing is ever finished ; only a little happiness is needed for everything to begin again.











Quotes for: others


Quotes

Quotes about others:


Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.





The usual pretext of those who make others unhappy is that they do it for their own good.





To be happy, we must consider the happiness of another.





Let the other side be heard as well.
Seneca / 





The best means of learning to know oneself is seeking to understand others.





Give to every human being every right that you claim for yourself.











Quotes for: difficulty


Quotes

Quotes for: difficulty


Out of clutter find simplicity ; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.





Happiness is not easily won; it is hard to find it in ourselves and impossible to find it elsewhere.





There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere.





One of the most important and most difficult arts is to unlearn vice.





All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.





To the stars through difficulty.
 / 











Quotes

Charles de Montesquieu also said...


It is a thousand times easier to do good than to do it well.





I have ever held it as a maxim, never to do that through another, which it was possible for me to execute myself.





It is not the young people that degenerate they are not spoiled till those of mature age are already sunk into corruption.





To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.





An empire founded by war has to maintain itself by war.





Success in the majority of circumstances depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed.












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