“A man should know something of his own country too, before he goes abroad.”

— Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy, Book VII, Ch. 2, 1765

About Laurence Sterne

1713 – 1768

Irish-born English novelist, author of "Tristram Shandy".

“The brave only know how to forgive.”

“As we jogg on, either laugh with me, or at me, or in short do any thing—only keep your temper.”

“For every ten jokes, thou hast got a hundred enemies.”

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”