Action and faith enslave thought, both of them in order not be troubled or inconvenienced by reflection, criticism, and doubt.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Action is coarsened thought; thought becomes concrete, obscure, and unconscious.
Henri Frederic Amiel

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

Analysis kills spontaneity. The grain once ground into flour springs and germinates no more.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Any landscape is a condition of the spirit.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Blessed be childhood, which brings down something of heaven into the midst of our rough earthliness.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Charm is the quality in others, that makes us more satisfied with ourselves.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Clever people will recognize and tolerate nothing but cleverness.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Cleverness is serviceable for everything, sufficient for nothing.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Common sense is calculation applied to life.
Henri Frederic Amiel


Common sense is the measure of the possible; it is composed of experience and prevision; it is calculation applied to life.
Henri Frederic Amiel

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

Destiny has two ways of crushing us - by refusing our wishes and by fulfilling them.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Doing easily what others find difficult is talent; doing what is impossible for talent is genius.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Every life is a profession of faith, and exercises an inevitable and silent influence.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Everything you need for better future and success has already been written. And guess what? All you have to do is go to the library.
Henri Frederic Amiel

For purposes of action nothing is more useful than narrowness of thought combined with energy of will.
Henri Frederic Amiel

He who asks of life nothing but the improvement of his own nature... is less liable than anyone else to miss and waste life.
Henri Frederic Amiel

I'm not interested in age. People who tell me their age are silly. You're as old as you feel.
Henri Frederic Amiel

If nationality is consent, the state is compulsion.
Henri Frederic Amiel