WIST

A belief is not true because it is useful.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Amiel’s Journey (1872)

The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life and you must accept regret.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Amiel’s Journey (1872)

Our true history is scarcely ever deciphered by others. The chief part of the drama is a monologue, or rather an intimate debate between God, our conscience, and ourselves. Tears, griefs, depressions, disappointments, irritations, good and evil thoughts, decisions, uncertainties, deliberations—all these belong to our secret, and are almost all incommunicable and intransmissible, even when we try to speak of them, and even when we write them down.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal Intime, entry for 27 Oct 1856 (1882)
trans. Mrs. Humphrey Ward (1892)

Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one’s liberty.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal Intime

Self-interest is but the survival of the animal in us. Humanity only begins for man with self-surrender.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal Intime (17 Dec 1856)

We are always making God our accomplice so that we may legalize our own inequities. Every successful massacre is consecrated by a Te Deum, and the clergy have never been wanting in benedictions for any victorious enormity.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal Intime (6 Oct. 1866)

Mutual respect implies discretion and reserve even in love itself; it means preserving as much liberty as possible to those whose life we share. We must distrust our instinct of intervention, for the desire to make one’s own will prevail is often disguised under the mask of solicitude.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal Intime (7 Nov 1862)

The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life, and you must accept regret.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal Intime, entry for 17 Dec 1856 (1882)
trans. by Mrs. Humphrey Ward (1892)

Hurtful timidity, unprofitable conscientiousness, fatal slavery to detail!

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal (1 Sep 1875) [tr. Ward (1887)]
On the causes of his failures.

Cleverness is serviceable for everything, sufficient for nothing.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal (16 Feb 1868) [tr. Ward (1887)]

Every life is a profession of faith, and exercises an inevitable and silent propaganda.  As far as lies in its power, it tends to transform the universe and humanity into its own image.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal (2 May 1852) [tr. Ward (1887)]

A gloomy morning.  On all sides a depressing outlook, and within, disgust  with self.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal (26 Apr 1968) [tr. Mrs. H. Ward (1887)]

An error is the more dangerous in proportion to the degree of truth which it contains.

Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet, critic
Journal (26 Dec 1852) [tr. Mrs. H. Ward (1885)]