Zitate von André Maurois

„The reading of a fine book is an uninterrupted dialogue in which the book speaks and our soul replies.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Friendship

„A man's power and intelligence are limited. He who wants to do everything will never do anything.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Working
Kontext: A man's power and intelligence are limited. He who wants to do everything will never do anything. Only too well do we know those people of uncertain ability who say: "I could be a great musician."..."Business would be easy for me."..."I could surely make success in politics." We may be certain that they will always be amateur musicians, failures in business, and beaten politicians. Napoleon held that the art of war consisted of making oneself strongest at a certain point; in life we must choose a point of attack and concentrate our forces there. The choice of a career must not be left to chance.

„Either the soul is immortal and we shall not die, or it perishes with the flesh and we shall not know that we are dead. Live, then, as if you were eternal“

—  André Maurois

Quoted by Will Durant in On the Meaning of Life http://books.google.com/books?id=XH5HAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Either+the+soul+is+immortal+and+we+shall+not+die+or+it+perishes+with+the+flesh+and+we+shall+not+know+that+we+are+dead+Live+then+as+if+you+were+eternal%22&pg=PA53#v=onepage (1932)
Kontext: What shall we know of our death? Either the soul is immortal and we shall not die, or it perishes with the flesh and we shall not know that we are dead. Live, then, as if you were eternal, and do not believe that your life has changed merely because it seems proved that the Earth is empty. You do not live in the Earth, you live in yourself.

„In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others.“

—  André Maurois

„A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.“

—  André Maurois

„Conversation would be vastly improved by the constant use of four simple words: I do not know.“

—  André Maurois

„After 1930, political theorists had begun to realize that every democracy—being a government of public opinion—is largely in the hands of those who make public opinion—that is to say, the newspaper-owners. In every country the big business men, the great financiers, were being compelled to purchase the influential newspapers and had little by little succeeded in doing so. They had been very clever in respecting the the external forms of democracy. The people continued to elect their deputies, who continued to to go through the forms of choosing ministers and presidents; but the ministers, presidents, and deputies could hold on to their positions only so long as they did what the Masters of Public Opinion told them to do; and, being well aware of this fact, they were duly submissive.“

—  André Maurois

The Next Chapter: The War Against the Moon (1928)

„Old age is far more than white hair, wrinkles, the feeling that it is too late and the game finished, that the stage belongs to the rising generations. The true evil is not the weakening of the body, but the indifference of the soul. Upon crossing the shadow line, it is more the desire to act than the power to do so that is lost. Is it possible, after fifty years of experiences and disappointments, to retain the ardent curiosity of youth, the desire to know and understand, the power to love wholeheartedly, the certainty that beauty, intelligence, and kindness unite naturally, and to preserve faith in the efficacy of reason? Beyond the shadow line lies the realm of even, tempered light where the eyes, not being dazzled any more by the blinding sun of desire, can see things and people as they are. How is it possible to believe in the moral perfection of pretty women if you have loved one of them? How is it possible to believe in progress when you have discovered throughout a long and difficult life that no violent change can triumph over human nature and that it is only the most ancient customs and ceremonies that can provide people with the flimsy shelter of civilization? "What's the use?" says the old man to himself. This is perhaps the most dangerous phrase he can utter, for after having said: "What's the use of struggling?" he will say one day: "What's the use of going out?" then: "What's the use of leaving my room?" then: "What's the use of leaving my bed?" and at last comes "What's the use of living?"“

—  André Maurois

which opens the portals of death.
Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Growing Old

„We are always repeating ancestral signs which are quite useless now. When a great actress wants to express hate she draws back her charming lips and shows her canine teeth, an unconscious sign of cannibalism. We shake hands with a friend to prevent him using it to strike us, and we take off our hats because our ancestors used to humbly offer their heads, to the bigwigs of those days, to be cut off.“

—  André Maurois

Les silences du colonel Bramble (The Silence of Colonel Bramble)

„The old writer, like the old actor, is a master of his craft. Youthfulness of style is no more than a matter of technique.“

—  André Maurois

The Art of Writing

„We do not completely love those at whom we cannot smile. There is something inhuman in absolute perfection which overwhelms the mind and heart, which commands respect, but keeps friendship at a distance through discouragement and humiliation. We are always glad when a great man reassures us of his humanity by possessing a few peculiarities.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Friendship

„The cinema may have a specific beauty of its own, but it does not permit that constant re-reading, that meditative brooding, those turning-back to passages heavily charged with meaning, which form the special pleasure of the novel-reader.“

—  André Maurois

The Art of Writing

„Byron says that it is easier to die for the woman one loves than to live with her.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Loving

„Revolt against a tyrant is legitimate; it can succeed. Revolt against human nature is doomed to failure.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Loving

„There are very few really brilliant men who have not had at least one madman among their ancestors.“

—  André Maurois

Les silences du colonel Bramble (The Silence of Colonel Bramble)

„Love born of anxiety resembles a thorn shaped so that efforts to pull it out of one's flesh merely cause it to penetrate more deeply therein.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Loving

„It is often maintained that friendship between men and women can never approach the high level of friendship between men. How, it is objected, could sensuality not be present in such relationships? if it were not present, would not the least coquettish of women feel herself humiliated? It is contrary to every natural impulse for a man to associate with a woman as freely as is usual in friendship without occasionally being conscious of physical desire, and if he is conscious of it, the whole machinery of the passions is set in motion.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Friendship

„Does absolute reliance carry with it a complete exchange of confidences? I believe that true friendship cannot exist otherwise.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Friendship

„Almost all of our fellow-beings deceive us, but a few of us have known the joy of meeting a woman or a man whose sincerity and frankness were genuine, who in almost every situation has behaved according to our wishes, and who in our most difficult moments has not forsaken us. Those few are familiar with that marvelous feeling: confidence. With at least one person they are able for a little while each day to lift the heavy visor of their helmets, breathe freely, and show their faces and their hearts without fear.“

—  André Maurois

Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Loving