Andre Maurois
17 quotations
A mixture of admiration and pity is one of the surest recipes for affection.
Growing old is no more than a bad habit which a busy man has no time to form.
The really great novel tends to be the exact negative of its author's life.
Men and women are not born inconstant: they are made so by their early amorous experiences.
We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity -- gunpowder and romantic love.
The most important quality in a leader is that of being acknowledged as such.
The difficult part in an argument is not to defend one's opinion, but rather to know it.
In literature, as in love, we are astonished at the choice made by other people.
A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day.
A marriage without conflicts is almost as inconceivable as a nation without crises.
A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.
No one can be profoundly original who does not avoid eccentricity.
Style [Is] the hallmark of a temperament stamped on the material in hand.
Business is a combination of war and sport.
To be witty is not enough. One must possess sufficient wit to avoid having too much of it.
Smile, for everyone lacks self-confidence and more than any other one thing a smile reassures them.
Conversation would be vastly improved by the constant use of four simple words: I do not know.