QuoteProject
To live lightheartedly but not recklessly; to be gay without being boisterous; to be courageous without being bold; to show trust and cheerful resignation without fatalism - this is the art of living.
Jean De La Fontaine
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The art of living involves balancing joy and courage with mindfulness and moderation.

This quote highlights the delicate balance required in life to truly embody a lighthearted yet responsible existence. It emphasizes the importance of being joyful and courageous without crossing into recklessness or excessive boldness, advocating for a state of trust and acceptance that neither resigns to fate nor disregards personal agency.

Themes

LifeArtLivingJoyCourage

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be shared during a motivational speaking event to inspire guests to find balance in life.

More from Jean De La Fontaine

Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.
Jean De La FontaineRead
In everything one must consider the end.
Jean De La FontaineRead
Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people.
Jean De La FontaineRead
It is good to be charitable; but to whom? That is the point. As to the ungrateful, there is not one who does not at last die miserable.
Jean De La FontaineRead
Let ignorance talk as it will, learning has its value.
Jean De La FontaineRead
Death never takes the wise man by surprise, he is always ready to go.
Jean De La FontaineRead

Similar quotes

Navigating a nonsober world of restaurants and bars, dinner parties, and benefits is like anything that requires practice. Like tennis or a foreign language, it gets easier the more you do it. But like all beginnings, it can be awkward. You stumble, you worry, and then there are unexpected moments of grace that give you the courage to keep going.
Bill CleggRead
I felt like a rich vagabond who had passed through the world paving my way with gold fairy dust, then realizing too late that the path disintegrated as soon as I passed over it.
Amy TanRead
The living are more demanding; the dead can wait.
Primo LeviRead
When I decided to be a singer, my mother warned me I'd be alone a lot. Basically we all are.
Whitney HoustonRead
At some point in life, the world's beauty becomes enough.
Toni MorrisonRead
How hard a thing is life to the lowly, and yet how human and real!
W. E. B. Du BoisRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Jean De La Fontaine | QuoteProject