François-René de Chateaubriand

Achilles exists only through Homer. Take away the art of writing from this world, and you will probably take away its glory.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

I am Bourbon as a matter of honour, royalist according to reason and conviction, and republican by taste and character.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

In living literature no person is a competent judge but of works written in his own language. I have expressed my opinion concerning a number of English writers; it is very possible that I may be mistaken, that my admiration and my censure may be equally misplaced, and that my conclusions may appear impertinent and ridiculous on the other side of the Channel.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

Perfect works are rare, because they must be produced at the happy moment when taste and genius unite; and this rare conjuncture, like that of certain planets, appears to occur only after the revolution of several cycles, and only lasts for an instant.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

Every institution goes through three stages — utility, privilege, and abuse.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

Memory is often the attribute of stupidity; it generally belongs to heavy spirits whom it makes even heavier by the baggage it loads them down with.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

It is a long way from Combourg to Berlin, from a youthful dreamer to an old minister. I find among the words preceding these: ‘In how many places have I already continued writing these Memoirs, and in what place will I finish them?'

— François-René de Chateaubriand

Aristocracy has three successive ages, — the age of superiorities, the age of privileges, and the age of vanities; having passed out of the first, it degenerates in the second, and dies away in the third.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

One does not learn how to die by killing others.

— François-René de Chateaubriand

My downfall made a great noise: those who appeared most satisfied criticized the manner of it.

— François-René de Chateaubriand