„Any kind of barbarism, once established, will last.“
— Alain
Men of Action
Alain On Happiness (1928)
Frasi Émile-Auguste Chartier
„Man himself is an enigma in motion“
— Alain
Introduction
The Gods (1934)
Contesto: Man himself is an enigma in motion; his questions never stay asked; whereas the mold, the footprint, and by natural extension, the statue itself, like the vaults, the arches, the temples with which man records his own passing, remain immobile and fix a moment of man’s life, upon which one might endlessly meditate.
„Every boat is copied from another boat…“
— Alain
Propos d’un Normand (1908); as quoted in "Natural selection and cultural rates of change" by D. S. Rogers and P. R. Ehrlich (2008) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105:3416–3420
Contesto: Every boat is copied from another boat... Let’s reason as follows in the manner of Darwin. It is clear that a very badly made boat will end up at the bottom after one or two voyages, and thus never be copied... One could then say, with complete rigor, that it is the sea herself who fashions the boats, choosing those which function and destroying the others.
— Alain
On Pity
Alain On Happiness (1928)
Contesto: One must preach life, not death; spread hope, not fear and cultivate joy, man's most valuable treasure. That is the secret of the greatest of the wise, and it wil be the light of tomorrow. Passions are sad. Hatred is sad. Joy destroys passions and hatred. Let us begin by telling ourselves that sadness is never noble, beautiful or useful.
„Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when you have only one idea.“
— Alain
Propos sur le Religion no. 74 (1938), under the pen name Alain.
Alternate translation: “Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when it's the only one we have.” IZQuotes https://izquotes.com/quote/%C3%A9mile-chartier/nothing-is-more-dangerous-than-an-idea-when-you-have-only-one-idea-390165 (retrieved 10/30/18).
— Alain
The King is Bored
Alain On Happiness (1928)
„Happiness is a reward that comes to those that have not looked for it.“
— Alain
Victories
Alain On Happiness (1928)
— Alain
Domestic Tranquility
Alain On Happiness (1928)
— Alain
The Eloquence of Our Passions
Alain On Happiness (1928)
„Work is the best and worst of all things; the best of it is voluntary, the worst of it is servile.“
— Alain
Happy Farmers
Alain On Happiness (1928)
— Alain
On Private Life
Alain On Happiness (1928)
— Alain
Attitudes Toward Neighbors
Alain On Happiness (1928)
„Our errors perish before we do. Let's not mummify them and keep them around.“
— Alain
Our Future
Alain On Happiness (1928)
— Alain
Bucephalus
Alain On Happiness (1928)
— Alain
Introduction
The Gods (1934)
— Alain
Happy Farmers
Alain On Happiness (1928)
— Alain
Statement of 1931, as quoted by Marcel Gauchet, Realms of Memory: Rethinking the French Past, Vol. 1 - Conflicts and Divisions, edited by Pierre Nora and Lawrence Kritzman, p. 266 ISBN 9780231084048
„Idleness is the mother of all vices, but also of all virtues.“
— Alain
Men of Action
Alain On Happiness (1928)
