Francois Rabelais Quotes & Sayings

Wait a second while I take a swig off this bottle: it's my true and only Helicon, my Caballine fount, my sole Enthusiasm. Here, drinking, I deliberate, I reason, I resolve and conclude. After the epilogue I laugh, I write, I compose, I drink. Ennius drinking would write, writing would drink. — Francois Rabelais

Tell the truth and shame the devil. — Francois Rabelais

A habit does not a monk make. — Francois Rabelais

Everything comes in time to those who can wait. — Francois Rabelais

Gestures, in love, are incomparably more attractive, effective and valuable than words. — Francois Rabelais

If you wish to avoid seeing a fool you must first break your looking glass. — Francois Rabelais

There is no truer cause of unhappiness amongst men than, where naturally expecting charity and benevolence, they receive harm and vexation. — Francois Rabelais

Plain as a nose in a man's face. — Francois Rabelais

Strike the iron whilst it is hot. — Francois Rabelais

We will take the good-will for the deed. — Francois Rabelais

Believe me, 'tis a godlike thing to lend; to owe is a heroic virtue. — Francois Rabelais

It is better to write of laughter than of tears, for laughter is the property of man. — Francois Rabelais

War begun without good provision of money beforehand for going through with it is but as a breathing of strength and blast that will quickly pass away. Coin is the sinews of war. — Francois Rabelais

The belly has no ears nor is it to be filled with fair words. — Francois Rabelais

Half the world does not know how the other half lives. — Francois Rabelais

I won't undertake war until I have tried all the arts and means of peace. — Francois Rabelais

Do you know what Agelisas said, when he was asked why the great city of Lacedomonie was not girded with walls? Because, pointing out the inhabitants and citizens of the city, so expert in military discipline and so strong and well armed: "Here," he said, "are the walls of the city," meaning that there is no wall but of bones, and that towns and cities can have no more secure nor stronger wall than the virtue of their citizens and inhabitants. — Francois Rabelais

Time, which gnaws and diminisheth all things else, augments and increaseth benefits; because a noble action of liberality, done to a man of reason, doth grow continually by his generous thinking of it and remembering it. — Francois Rabelais

We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied us. — Francois Rabelais

I've often heard it said, as the common proverb goes, that a fool can teach a wise man well. — Francois Rabelais

Pantagruel was telling me that he believed the queen had given the symbolic word used among her subjects to denote sovereign good cheer, when she said to her tabachins, A panacea. — Francois Rabelais

Indeed, said the monk, a mass, a matins, and vespers well rung are half-said. — Francois Rabelais

the wise may be instructed by a fool — Francois Rabelais

I have already related to you great and admirable things; but, if you might be induced to adventure upon the hazard of believing some other divinity of this sacred Pantagruelion, I very willingly would tell it you. Believe it, if you will, or otherwise, believe it not, I care not which of them you do, they are both alike to me. It shall be sufficient for my purpose to have told you the truth, and the truth I will tell you. — Francois Rabelais

Frugality is for the vulgar. — Francois Rabelais

Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows continually through noble thought and memory. — Francois Rabelais

When my soul leaves this human dwelling, I will not consider myself to have completely died, but to pass from one state to another, given that, in you and by you, I remain in my visible image in this world. — Francois Rabelais

Giving words [is] an act of lovers. — Francois Rabelais

I am going to seek a great perhaps. — Francois Rabelais

I never sleep in comfort save when I am hearing a sermon or praying to God. — Francois Rabelais

Bottle, whose Mysterious Deep Do's ten thousand Secrets keep, With attentive Ear I wait; Ease my Mind, and speak my Fate. — Francois Rabelais

The Lord forbid that I should be out of debt, as if indeed I could not be trusted. — Francois Rabelais

I'd gladly do without a valet. I'm never so well treated as when I'm without a valet. — Francois Rabelais

a child is a fire to be lit, not a vase to be filled — Francois Rabelais

Bring down the curtain,
the farce is played out. — Francois Rabelais

When undertaking marriage, everyone must be the judge of his own thoughts, and take counsel from himself. — Francois Rabelais

From the gut comes the strut, and where hunger reigns, strength abstains. — Francois Rabelais

It is quite a common and vulgar thing among humans to understand, foresee, know and predict the troubles of others. But oh what a rare thing it is to predict, know, foresee and understand one's own troubles. — Francois Rabelais

Between two stools one sits on the ground. — Francois Rabelais

All things have their ends and cycles. And when they have reached their highest point, they are in their lowest ruin, for they cannot last for long in such a state. Such is the end for those who cannot moderate their fortune and prosperity with reason and temperance. — Francois Rabelais

To good and true love fear is forever affixed. — Francois Rabelais

Bring down the curtain, the farce is over — Francois Rabelais

The scent of wine, oh how much more agreeable, laughing, praying, celestial and delicious it is than that of oil! — Francois Rabelais

For he who can wait, everything comes in time. — Francois Rabelais

I have known many who could not when they would, for they had not done it when they could. — Francois Rabelais

Remove idleness from the world and soon the arts of Cupid would perish. — Francois Rabelais

Hungry bellies have no cars. — Francois Rabelais

Early rising is no pleasure; early drinking's just the measure. — Francois Rabelais

Oh how unhappy is the prince served by such men who are so easily corrupted. — Francois Rabelais

I know of a charm by way of a prayer that will preserve a man from the violence of guns and all manner of fire-weapons and engines but it will do me no good because I do not believe it — Francois Rabelais

To laugh is proper to man. — Francois Rabelais

Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind. — Francois Rabelais

Thirst, for who in the time of innocence would have drunk without being athirst? Nay, sir, it was drinking; for privatio praesupponit habitum. — Francois Rabelais

It's a shame to be called "educated" those who do not study the ancient Greek writers. — Francois Rabelais

The probity that scintillizes in the superfices of your persons informs my ratiocinating faculty, in a most stupendous manner, of the radiant virtues latent within the precious caskets and ventricles of your minds. — Francois Rabelais

An old monkey never makes a pretty face. — Francois Rabelais

A certain jollity of mind, pickled in the scorn of fortune. — Francois Rabelais

If you want to avoid seeing an idiot, break the mirror. — Francois Rabelais

But where are the snows of last year? That was the greatest concern of Villon, the Parisian poet. — Francois Rabelais

According to true military art, one should never push one's enemy to the point of despair, because such a state multiplies his strength and increases his courage which had already been crushed and failing, and because there is no better remedy for the health of beaten and overwhelmed men than the absence of all hope. — Francois Rabelais

Death is the vast perhaps. — Francois Rabelais

For God, nothing is impossible. And, if he wanted, in the future women would give birth from their ears. — Francois Rabelais

So that we may not be like the Athenians, who never consulted except after the event done.
[Fr., Afin que ne semblons es Athenians, qui ne consultoient jamais sinon apres le cas faict.] — Francois Rabelais

He that has patience may compass anything. — Francois Rabelais

The age was still dark and reeked of the havoc and misfortunes of the Goths who had put all good literature to destruction. But, by God's goodness, in my time light and dignity were returned to letters, and I see there such improvement that today I would have great difficulty being admitted to the most elementary classes
I, who in my time was reputed to be (and not wrongly) to be the most knowledgeable person of the century. — Francois Rabelais

So much is a man worth as he esteems himself. — Francois Rabelais

The right moment wears a full head of hair: when it has been missed, you can't get it back; it's bald in the back of the head and never turns around. — Francois Rabelais

A little rain beats down a big wind. Long drinking bouts break open the tun(der). — Francois Rabelais

Seeing how sorrow eats you, defeats you.
I'd rather write about laughing than crying,
For laughter makes men human, and courageous. — Francois Rabelais

Friends, you will notice that in this world there are many more ballocks than men. Remember this. — Francois Rabelais

A man of good sense always believes what he is told, and what he finds written down. — Francois Rabelais

..to laugh is proper to the man. — Francois Rabelais

No noble man ever hated good wine. — Francois Rabelais

Machination is worth more than force. — Francois Rabelais

Never did a great man hate good wine. — Francois Rabelais

A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit. — Francois Rabelais

I owe much; I have nothing; the rest I leave to the poor. — Francois Rabelais

I drink no more than a sponge. — Francois Rabelais

I am going to seek a great perhaps; draw a curtain, the farce is played out. — Francois Rabelais

I never drink without a thirst, either present or future. — Francois Rabelais

Men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour. Those same men, when by base subjection and constraint they are brought under and kept down, turn aside from that noble disposition, by which they formerly were inclined to virtue, to shake off and break that bond of servitude, wherein they are so tyrannously enslaved; for it is agreeable with the nature of man to long after things forbidden, and to desire what is denied us. — Francois Rabelais

I drink for the thirst to come. — Francois Rabelais

A mother-in-law dies only when another devil is needed in hell. — Francois Rabelais

Keep running after a dog and he will never bite you. — Francois Rabelais

The great reproach always brought against Rabelais is not the want of reserve of his language merely, but his occasional studied coarseness, which is enough to spoil his whole work, and which lowers its value. — Francois Rabelais

I am going to seek the great Perhaps. — Francois Rabelais

If you understand why a monkey in a family is always mocked and harassed, you understand why monks are rejected by all
both old and young. — Francois Rabelais

All's well in the end, if you've only the patience to wait. — Francois Rabelais

I go to see a Greater Perhaps. — Francois Rabelais

One should never pursue the hazards of fortune to their very ends andit behooves all adventurers to treat their good luck with reverence, neither bothering nor upsetting it. — Francois Rabelais

Don't limp in front of the lame. — Francois Rabelais

Few and signally blessed are those whom Jupiter has destined to be cabbage-planters. For they've always one foot on the ground andthe other not far from it. Anyone is welcome to argue about felicity and supreme happiness. But the man who plants cabbages I now positively declare to be the happiest of mortals. — Francois Rabelais

There are more old drunkards than old physicians. — Francois Rabelais

Parisians are so besotted, so silly and so naturally inept that a street player, a seller of indulgences, a mule with its cymbals,a fiddler in the middle of a crossroads, will draw more people than would a good Evangelist preacher. — Francois Rabelais

Misery is the company of lawsuits. — Francois Rabelais

No clock is more regular than the belly. — Francois Rabelais

A crier of green sauce. — Francois Rabelais

I am going to seek a great purpose, draw the curtain, the farce is played. — Francois Rabelais

I place no hope in my strength, nor in my works: but all my confidence is in God my protector, who never abandons those who have put all their hope and thought in him. — Francois Rabelais

O laugh is proper to the man. — Francois Rabelais