10 Brilliant Paul Valéry Quotes

“Poems are never finished - just abandoned”
― Paul Valéry

“Politeness is organized indifference.”
― Paul Valéry


“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”
― Paul Valéry

“Le vent se lève! . . . il faut tenter de vivre!
L'air immense ouvre et referme mon livre,
La vague en poudre ose jaillir des rocs!
Envolez-vous, pages tout éblouies!
Rompez, vagues! Rompez d'eaux réjouies
Ce toit tranquille où picoraient des focs!”
― Paul Valéry, Le cimetière marin / El cementerio marino

“Books have the same enemies as people: fire, humidity, animals, weather, and their own content.”
― Paul Valéry

“Love is being stupid together.”
― Paul Valéry

“Nothing is more natural than mutual misunderstanding; the contrary is always surprising. I believe that one never agrees on anything except by mistake, and that all harmony among human beings is the happy fruit of an error.”
― Paul Valéry, The Art of Poetry

“God made everything out of nothing. But the nothingness shows through.”
― Paul Valéry

“To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees.”
― Paul Valéry

“Our most important thoughts are those that contradict our emotions.”
― Paul Valéry

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