A work is perfectly finished only when nothing can be added to it and nothing taken away.
Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], 1809 entry [tr. Auster (1983)]
(Source)
I could not find an analog in other translations of the Pensées.
Quotations about:
done
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
ULYSSES: Those scraps are good deeds past, which are devoured
As fast as they are made, forgot as soon
As done. Perseverance, dear my lord,
Keeps honor bright. To have done is to hang
Quite out of fashion like a rusty mail
In monumental mock’ry.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Troilus and Cressida, Act 3, sc. 3, l. 153ff (3.3.153-158) (1602)
(Source)
PAULINA: What’s gone and what’s past help
Should be past grief.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Winter’s Tale, Act 3, sc. 2, l. 246ff (3.2.246-247) (1611)
(Source)
Waste not fresh tears over old griefs.
LADY MACBETH: What’s done cannot be undone.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Macbeth, Act 5, sc. 1, l. 71 (5.1.71) (1606)
(Source)
See previously.