Quotes from Andre Gide

It is one of life's laws that as soon as one door closes another opens. But the tragedy is we look at the closed door and disregard the open one.

Most often people seek in life occasions for persisting in their opinions rather than for educating themselves.

The most decisive actions of life are most often unconsidered actions.

Life never presents us with anything which may not be looked upon as a fresh starting point, no less than as a termination.

The most important things to say are those which often I did not think necessary for me to say - because they were too obvious.

Those who have never been ill are incapable of real sympathy for a great many misfortunes

Quel che si possiede in se stessi di diverso, è proprio quel che si possiede di rado, quel che attribuisce a ciascuno il suo valore; ed è proprio quello che si cerca di sopprimere. Si imita. E si pretende di amare la vita.

Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself- and thus make yourself indispensable.

Wisdom comes not from reason but from love.

Profound optimism is always on the side of the tortured.

A man thinks he owns things, and it is he who is owned

The most decisive actions of our life - I mean those that are most likely to decide the whole course of our future - are, more often than not, unconsidered.

We should enjoy this summer, flower by flower, as if it were to be the last one we'll see.

Ante ciertos libros, uno se pregunta: ¿quién los leerá? Y ante ciertas personas uno se pregunta: ¿qué leerán? Y al fin, libros y personas se encuentran.

Every instant of our lives is essentially irreplaceable: you must know this in order to concentrate on life.

In other people's company I felt I was dull, gloomy, unwelcome, at once bored and boring...

Nothing is more fatal to happiness than the remembrance of happiness.

The truth is that as soon as we are no longer obliged to earn our living, we no longer know what to do with our life and recklessly squander it.

The capacity to get free is nothing; the capacity to be free is the task.

I can't expect others to share my virtues. It's good enough for me if they share my vices.

The most important things to say are those which often I did not think necessary for me to say — because they were too obvious.

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does, the better.

Welcome everything that comes to you, but do not long for anything else.

Poverty makes a slave out of men. In order to eat he will accept work that gives no pleasure.