Literary Birthday – 16 April – Anatole France

Anatole France was born 16 April 1844, and died 12 October 1924.

12 Quotes

1. Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are books that other folks have lent me.
2. It is human nature to think wisely and act in an absurd fashion.
3. To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
4. The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself a fool.
5. Nine tenths of education is encouragement.
6. The truth is that life is delicious, horrible, charming, frightful, sweet, bitter, and that is everything.
7. If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
8. People who have no weaknesses are terrible; there is no way of taking advantage of them.
9. Stupidity is far more dangerous than evil, for evil takes a break from time to time, stupidity does not.
10. What frightens us most in a madman is his sane conversation.
11. All the good writers of confessions, from Augustine onwards, are men who are still a little in love with their sins.
12. One thing above all gives charm to men’s thoughts, and this is unrest. A mind that is not uneasy irritates and bores me.

Anatole France was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was a member of the Académie française, and won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He is the author of The Gods Will Have Blood.

Source for Image: Photographer : Wilhelm Benque. Tucker Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatole_France_young_years.jpg

by Amanda Patterson

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