Madame Swetchine
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Madame Swetchine
Born in Moscow in 1782, Sophie Soymanof became a member of the Roman Catholic Church in 1815, having been influenced by Joseph de Maistre, and moved to Paris in 1817. There she married a General named Swetchine who was 25 years her senior and became a celebrated hostess in the salons. Madame Swetchine's salon was known for its courtesy, its high intellectual level, and for the ethical and religious nature of its discussions. Plain and unimposing in her appearance, Madame Swetchine had a spiritual nature that was compelling to all those around her. She died in 1857.
Today, many inspirational quotes by Madame Swetchine are often cited. These maxims and aphorisms have their origins in The Life and Works of Madame Swetchine, which was edited by Count M. de Falloux and published in 1860. This work was soon translated to English and was published in the United States for the first time in 1867.
Some of Madame Swetchine's best-known quotes include:
- The chains which cramp us most are those which weigh on us least.
To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others.
We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more.
Attention is a tacit and continual compliment.
Kindness causes us to learn, and to forget, many things.
Let our lives be pure as snowfields, where our footsteps leave a mark, but not a stain.
We are rich only through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.
Men are always invoking justice; and it is justice which should make them tremble.
To have ideas is to gather flowers; to think, is to weave them into garlands.
All the joys of earth will not assuage our thirst for happiness; while a single grief suffices to shroud life in a sombre veil, and smite it with nothingness at all points.
Might we not say to the confused voices which sometimes arise from the depths of our being: "Ladies, be so kind as to speak only four at a time?"
Last updated: March 13, 2009.
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Anne Sophie Swetchine
Quotes:
"One must be a somebody before they can have a enemy. One must be a force before he can be resisted by another force."
"We expect everything and are prepared for nothing."
"The ideal friendship is to feel as one while remaining two."
"We are rich only through what we give; and poor only through we refuse and keep."
"How easy to be amiable in the midst of happiness and success."
"There are two ways of attaining an important end, force and perseverance; the silent power of the latter grows irresistible with time."
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Anne Sophie Swetchine
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Sophie Swetchine
Anne Sophie Swetchine (née Sophia Petrovna Soïmonov or Soymanof; November 22, 1782 – 1857), known as Madame Swetchine, was a Russian mystic, born in Moscow, and famous for her salon in Paris.
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Biography
Sofia Petrovna Soimonov, daughter of Secretary of State Peter Alexandrovich Soimonov (1734 - 1801) from his marriage with Katherine Boltin (1756 - 1790) was born November 22, 1782 in Moscow.
She spent her early years at the court of empress Catherine II, as her father was one of the empress's closest advisors. She was given a good education and spoke several European languages and was popular at court. In 1797, she was made lady in waiting to Empress Maria Fedorovna. In 1799, she married General Nicolas Sergeyvitch Swetchine. Her husband, General Swetchine, was 25 years her senior. Their relationship was described as a good one.
She was said to have suffered because of her lack of children, and therefore turned to religion. Under the influence of Joseph de Maistre, she became a member of the Roman Catholic Church in 1815; she had also been under the influence of the Jesuits. Because of the law, which disallowed Russian nobles who converted from the orthodox religion to live in Russia, she was forced to leave Russia, and she decided upon Paris as her new home. In the following year she settled in Paris with her spouse where, until her death, she maintained a famous salon.
From 1826 onward, she held her salon at number 71, Rue Saint Dominique in Paris. Her salon was considered remarkable for its high courtesy and intellectuality. She often received Russian exiles at her salon. It was also a centre of the French contrarevolutionary movement. Frequent guests were people of France's literary, political and ecclesiastical communities. With her "fervent and enlightened Catholicism", which took the form of a rational and intellectualized form of faith, she is described as an influence on the French Catholic community until her death in 1856.
Works
Her Life and Works (of which the best known are "Old Age" and "Resignation") were published by M. de Falloux (2 vols, 1860) and her Letters by the same editor (2 vols., 1861).
Quotes
Madame Swetchine is noted for the quotation: "How easy to be amiable in the midst of happiness and success." She was reported to have said that "Travel is the frivolous part of serious lives and the serious part of frivolous lives"
References
- Sainte-Beuve, Nouveaux lundis, vol. i.
- E Scherer, Etudes sur la littérature contemporaine, vol. i.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Maturin M Ballou, "Travels Under the Southern Cross" Houghton Mifflin, NY, 1894
- File:http://www.tocqueville.culture.fr/en/portraits/p_amis-swetchine.html
External links
"Sophie-Jeanne Soymonof Swetchine". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
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