Had you but seen it, I promise you, your high-minded principles would have melted like candle wax. Never would you have wished such beauty away.

~ Jennifer Donnelly

Jennifer Donnelly Beauty Class Struggle Excess French Revolution Grandeur Louis Xiv Paris Wastefulness

Every one is fond of comparing himself to something great and grandiose, as Louis XIV likened himself to the sun, and others have had like similes. I am more humble. I am a mere street scavenger (chiffonier) of science. With my hook in my hand and my basket on my back, I go about the streets of science, collecting what I find.

~ François Magendie

François Magendie Chiffonier Comparison Discovery Grandiose Greatness Humbleness Louis Xiv Passion Scavenger Science

Dixon was not unconscious of this awed reverence which was given to her, nor did she dislike it, it flattered her as much as Louis the Fourteenth was flattered by his courtiers shading their eyes from the dazzling light of his presence.

~ Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell Admiration France Funny History Louis Xiv North And South Pride Respect Reverence