Jean de La Bruyère, The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (1688), Chapter II, Section 17.
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Modesty is to merit, what shade is to figures in a picture; it gives it strength and makes it stand out.
— Jean de La Bruyère on Modesty
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Modesty is to merit, what shade is to figures in a picture; it gives it strength and makes it stand out." in the context of "Jean de La Bruyère, The Characters or Manners of the Present Age (1688), Chapter II, Section 17." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Modesty" (Quotes)
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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