Jean de La Bruyère, in Les Caractères (1688), Aphorism 47 as translated in The Characters of Jean de La Bruyère (1929) by Henri van Laun
• Variant translations:
• Liberality consists rather in giving seasonably than much.
• Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment.
• Variant translations:
• Liberality consists rather in giving seasonably than much.
• Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment.
“
Liberality consists less in giving a great deal than in gifts well timed.
— Jean de La Bruyère on Liberalism
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Liberality consists less in giving a great deal than in gifts well timed." in the context of "Jean de La Bruyère, in Les Caractères (1688), Aphorism 47 as translated in The Characters of Jean de La Bruyère (1929) by Henri van Laun
• Variant translations:
• Liberality consists rather in giving seasonably than much.
• Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Liberalism" (B)
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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