I always do the first line well, but I have trouble doing the others.
MoliereRead
I want to be distinguished from the rest; to tell the truth, a friend to all mankind is not a friend for me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True friendship is exclusive and requires deeper connections rather than being overly accommodating to everyone.
In this quote, Moliere expresses the belief that being loved or accepted by everyone may dilute the authenticity of friendship. He values deeper, more meaningful relationships with a select few over a superficial bond with the masses, suggesting that true friendship requires intimacy and distinction from the crowd.
Themes
FriendshipTruthAuthenticityConnectionsDistinction
In practice
Example use cases
During a toast at a wedding, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of meaningful friendships.
More from Moliere
All quotes →Beauty without intelligence is like a hook without bait.
MoliereRead
Betrayed and wronged in everything, I’ll flee this bitter world where vice is king, And seek some spot unpeopled and apart Where I’ll be free to have an honest heart. - Molière, The Misanthrope
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Long is the road from conception to completion.
MoliereRead
Oh, I may be devout, but I am human all the same.
MoliereRead
Hypocrisy is a fashionable vice, and all fashionable vices pass for virtue.
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Haec ego non multis (scribo), sed tibi: satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus. I am writing this not to many, but to you: certainly we are a great enough audience for each other.
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So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm. . . ." He shook his head. "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you.
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Friends of my youth, a last adieu! haply some day we meet again; _x000D_ Yet ne'er the self-same men shall meet; the years shall make us other men.
Richard Francis BurtonRead