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?"