Jean de La Bruyère, The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (1688), Volume II, Chapter I. On Judgments.
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Great things astonish us, and small dishearten us. Custom makes both familiar.
— Jean de La Bruyère on Customs
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Great things astonish us, and small dishearten us. Custom makes both familiar." in the context of "Jean de La Bruyère, The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (1688), Volume II, Chapter I. On Judgments." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Customs" (Quotes, Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations: Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 154-55.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Jean de La Bruyère
Jean de La Bruyère (16 August 1645 – 10 May 1696) was a French essayist and moralist.
About Jean de La Bruyère
Jean de La Bruyère (16 August 1645 – 10 May 1696) was a French essayist and moralist.
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