Quotes by
Jean Rostand |
1894-1977 , French scientist & philosopher
French biologist and philosopher. He became famous for his work as a science writer, as well as a philosopher and an activist. His scientific work covered a variety of biological fields such as amphibian embryology, parthenogenesis and teratogeny, while his literary output extended into popular science, history of science and philosophy.His father was the playwright Edmond Rostand. He was the brother of the writer Maurice Rostand.
| 34 quotes | 2,240 visits |
Quotations
| • | I feel very optimistic about the future of pessimism. 10 |
| • | Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god. 9 |
| • | As long as there are dictatorships, I won’t have the heart to criticize a democracy. 6 |
| • | A man is not old as long as he is seeking something. 5 |
| • | Marriage simplifies life and complicates the day. 4 |
| • | You may admire yourself without despising others, but how can you admire others without despising yourself? 4 |
| • | For war to disappear, men would have to become either cowards or wise. 3 |
| • | Science had better not free the minds of men too much, before it has tamed their instincts. |
| • | In our ideals we unwittingly reveal our vice. |
| • | A body of work such as Pasteur's is inconceivable in our time: no man would be given a chance to create a whole science. Nowadays, a path is scarcely opened up when the crowd begins to pour in. |
| • | When I was young I pitied the old. Now old, it is the young I pity. |
| • | To live is often to struggle toward goals one has no desire to reach. |
| • | A married couple fit very well together when both partners usually feel the need for a quarrel at the same time. |
| • | Ambition: a soap bubble that would like to be a little bigger when it bursts. |
| • | To be an adult is to be alone. |
| • | Altruism is often an alibi. |
| • | The only thing that cannot be beautified without it perishing is the truth. |
| • | Who does not ask for anything is that he expects everything. |
| • | Two spouses must be careful not to quarrel when they no longer love each other enough for reconciliation. |
| • | God, this dump of our dreams. |
| • | Greatness, to be recognized, must often consent to imitate greatness. |
| • | Science finds cures more easily than answers. |
| • | Put your feet up when you think; remove them when writing. |
| • | Morality is what is left of fear when you forget it. |
| • | Hatred, for those who do not hate, it is a bit like the smell of garlic for those who have not eaten it. |
| • | Coming out of some mouths, the truth itself smells bad. |
| • | You can only admire for a long time what you admire without knowing why. |
| • | All we can do for our children is to choose their mother well. |
| • | So much freedom, in Art, to do so little! |
| • | A really great writer is one who surprises us by writing something we have always known. |
| • | If you are going to give up, do it right away and you will be described as generous. But if you give up after thinking, everybody will assume that you are weak. |
| • | He who kills out of selfishness kills a little. Out of ambition, a lot. From ideology, monstrously. |
| • | Leave all the doors open, but vigorously defend the entrance. |
Funny Quotes
| • | Humanity is a disease of the earth. There are no humans on healthy planets. |
