Marguerite Yourcenar

The true birthplace is that wherein for the first time one looks intelligently upon oneself; my first homelands have been books, and to a lesser degree schools. ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#knowledge #self #intelligence

Of all our games, love's play is the only one which threatens to unsettle the soul... ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#love

Leaving behind books is even more beautiful — there are far too many children. ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#childfree #legacy #beauty

This city belongs to ghosts, to murderers, to sleepwalkers. Where are you, in what bed, in what dream? ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#philosophy #dreams

If you love life you also love the past, because it is the present as it has survived in memory." Translation by David Downie ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#life

Le souvenir n'est qu'un regard posé de temps en temps sur des êtres devenus intérieurs,mais qui ne dépendent pas de la mémoire pour continuer d'exister. ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#inspirational

Laws change more slowly than custom, and though dangerous when they fall behind the times are more dangerous still when the presume to anticipate custom. ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#change

Tout bonheur est un chef-d'oeuvre: la moindre erreur le fausse, la moindre hésitation l'altère, la moindre lourder le dépare, la moindre sottise l'abêtit. ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#life #wisdom #life

I am not sure that the discovery of love is necessarily more exquisite than the discovery of poetry. ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#love

That mysterious play which extends from love of a body to a love of an entire person has seemed to me noble enough to consecrate to it one part of my life. ↗

— Marguerite Yourcenar

#life