Chamfort, Sebastien Roch Nicolas

French author, Jacobin revolutionary, and wit

killed when being arrested on orders from French Convention

• "Most of those who make collections of verse or epigram are like men eating cherries or oysters: they choose out the best at first, and end by eating all."
• "Most of today's books have an air of having been written in one day from books read the night before."
• "All that I've learned, I've forgotten. The little I still know, I've guessed."
• "The most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed."