Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.... He is the hero, he is every...thing. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
How can a monarchy be a suitable thing, which allows a man to do as he pleases with none to hold him to account. And even if you w...ere to take the best man on earth, and put him into a monarchy, you put outside him the thoughts that usually guide him.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
He is the best man who, when making his plans, fears and reflects on everything that can happen to him, but in the moment of actio...n is bold.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
"you were with me all day; stood with me, sat with me, talked with me, looked at me, ate with me, drank with me; and yet, your las...t act was to clutch for a monster, not only an innocent man, but the most pitiable of all men. So far may even the best man err, in judging the conduct of one with the recesses of whose condition he is not acquainted."LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
A man's ignorance sometimes is not only useful, but beautiful,Mwhile his knowledge, so called, is oftentimes worse than useless, b...esides being ugly. Which is the best man to deal with,Mhe who knows nothing about a subject, and, what is extremely rare, knows that he knows nothing, or he who really knows something about it, but thinks that he knows all?LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
A foreign minister, I will maintain it, can never be a good man of business if he is not an agreeable man of pleasure too. Half hi...s business is done by the help of his pleasures: his views are carried on, and perhaps best, and most unsuspectedly, at balls, suppers, assemblies, and parties of pleasure; by intrigues with women, and connections insensibly formed with men, at those unguarded hours of amusement.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
A man of fashion never has recourse to proverbs, and vulgar aphorisms; uses neither favourite words nor hard words, but takes grea...t care to speak very correctly and grammatically, and to pronounce properly; that is, according to the usage of the best companies.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
If a man, notoriously and designedly, insults and affronts you, knock him down; but if he only injures you, your best revenge is t...o be extremely civil to him in your outward behaviour, though at the same time you counterwork him, and return him the compliment, perhaps with interest.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »