Quotes by Ninon de L'Enclos

About Ninon de L'Enclos:

Anne "Ninon" de l'Enclos was a French author, courtesan, freethinker, and patron of the arts.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Old age is a woman's hell.

Ninon de L'Enclos

The joy of the mind is the measure of its strength.

Ninon de L'Enclos

The more sins you confess, the more books you will sell.

Ninon de L'Enclos

Every action we take, everything we do, is either a victory or defeat in the struggle to become what we want to be.

Ninon de L'Enclos

Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it.

Ninon de L'Enclos

Words really flattering are not those which we prepare but those which escape us unthinkingly.

Ninon de L'Enclos

Feminine virtue is nothing but a convenient masculine invention.

Ninon de L'Enclos

If God had to give a woman wrinkles, He might at least have put them on the soles of her feet.

Ninon de L'Enclos

The resistance of a woman is not always a proof of her virtue, but more frequently of her experience.

Ninon de L'Enclos

That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful.

Ninon de L'Enclos

Actors ought to be larger than life. You come across quite enough ordinary, nondescript people in daily life and I don't see why you should be subjected to them on the stage too.

Ninon de L'Enclos

A sensible woman should be guided by her head when taking a husband, and by her heart when taking a lover.

Ninon de L'Enclos

Love never dies of starvation, but often of indigestion.

Ninon de L'Enclos

Men lose more conquests by their own awkwardness than by any virtue in the woman.

Ninon de L'Enclos

It is strange that modesty is the rule for women when what they most value in men is boldness.

Ninon de L'Enclos

A man is given the choice between loving women and understanding them.

Ninon de L'Enclos

Author Bio

  • NameNinon de L'Enclos
  • DescriptionFrench author, courtesan, freethinker, and patron of the arts
  • AliasesAnne "Ninon" de l'Enclos; Ninon de Lenclos; Ninon de Lanclos
  • BornNovember 10, 1620
  • DiedOctober 17, 1705
  • CountryFrance
  • ProfessionSalon-holder