Molière

The world, dear Agnes, is a strange affair.

To know how to dissemble is the knowledge of kings.

Those whose conduct gives room for talk are always the first to attack their neighbors.

I want people to be sincere and not half sincere.

If everyone were clothed with integrity, if every heart were just, frank, kindly, the other virtues would be well-nigh useless.

It is the business of the stage to give a faithful representation of life.

The stage is the place where the actor is himself.

Comedy is nothing but a picture of human follies and errors.

In the theater, one must have the courage to be oneself.

Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.

The greatest treasure a man can have is his family.

Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.

When we are in good health, we are always thinking of our work; when we are ill, we think only of our health.

The art of the theater is in making the audience laugh and cry at will.

True wit is nature to advantage dressed, what oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed.

One must not always swear to the whole truth. One should also tell pleasant falsehoods.

The most dangerous hypocrite in a society is one who is in love with his own hypocrisy.

Happiness lies within one's self and the way to dig it out is to cultivate the little things that bring joy.

The essence of comedy is exaggeration.

In life, as in theater, timing is everything.