Philip Dormer Stanhope

Every woman is infallibly to be gained by every sort of flattery, and every man by one sort or other.

I recommend you to take care of the minutes: for hours will take care of themselves.

Advice is seldom welcome; and those who want it the most always like it the least.

Idleness is only the refuge of weak minds.

Religion is by no means a proper subject of conversation in a mixed company.

Women are much more like each other than men: they have, in truth, but two passions, vanity and love; these are their universal characteristics.

The passion of ambition is the same in a courtier, a soldier, or an ecclesiastic; but, from their different educations and habits, they will take very different methods to gratify it.

He makes people pleased with him by making them first pleased with themselves.

The knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet.

Young men are apt to think themselves wise enough, as drunken men are apt to think themselves sober enough.

It is not to be imagined by how many different ways vanity defeats its own purpose.

You must look into people, as well as at them.

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness; no laziness; no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

Whenever a man seeks your advice he generally seeks your praise.

Be wiser than other people, if you can, but do not tell them so.

Learning is acquired by reading books; but the much more necessary learning, the knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading man, and studying all the various editions of them.

Ridicule is the best test of truth.

I recommend you to take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves.

Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the superficial.

Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.