Your Homework for the New Year

We await them each year with aniticipation: the French chocolate bonbons called Révillon, that start to appear in the stores near Christmastime. We like that they come in bags of mixed chocolat noir flavors: Parline Pur Amandes Feuilleté, Ganache Noir, and so on. But what we like best is this: tucked inside little each glittery wrapped papilllote is an inspirational quote, in French. We have spent many a winter evening with a post-dinner espresso and maybe even a cognac, nibbling on chocolates and working on our translations.

We have tested you in the past on your Révillon quotes, but this is a new year and a new crop. By the way, I used to think the name came from réviellon, which means Christams eve or New Year's Eve festivities, and which seems appropriate. But no, I noticed the name is spelled slightly differently: Révillon, which is just a brand name. In any case, here we go. I hope these inspire you to great things in La Nouvelle Année. Translations at the bottom--no cheating til you've tried!

The many varieties of this Christmas treat.

 

P.S. I regret to tell you that the impressive stack of quotes pictured at the top  took us only a couple of days to produce. Ok maybe one.

 

Tout ce que tu feras sera dérisoire, mais il est essentiel que tu le fasses.

Gandi

Le plaisir de l'habitude est souvent plus doux encore que celui de la nouveauté.

Marcel Proust

Dis-toi d'abord ce que tu veux être, puis fais ce qu'il faut pour le devenir. 

Epicèt ...

Tous les trésors de la terre ne valent pas le bonheur d'être aimé.

Calderon

Le chocolat plonge des êtres par ailleurs normaux dans d'étranges états extatiques.

John West

On n'est jamais puni pour avoir fait mourir de rire.

Proverbe chinois

L'espérance d'une joie est presque égale à la joie.

William Shakespeare

Ecrire, c'est une façon de parler sans étre interrompu.

Jules Renard

Les paroles sages tombent quelquefois dans l'oreille d'un sourd; mais un mot gentil n'est jamais perdu.

Arthur Helps

Les rires éclatent mieux lorsque la nourriture est bonne.

Proverb irlandais

Un compliment vaut un baiser.

Alfred de Musset

Dans la vie tu as deux choix le matin: soit tu te recouches pour poursuivre ton rêve, soit tu te lèves pour le réaliser. 

Anonymous

 

Here's your cheat sheet. Feel free to take issue with my translations:

 

Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you, but it is essential that you do it.

The pleasure of habit is often sweeter than that of novelty.

Tell yourself first of all what you want to be, then do what's necessary to become it.

All the treasures of the earth are not worth the happiness of being loved.

Chocolate plunges otherwise normal beings into strange ecstatic states.

One is never punished for making people die of laughter.

The hope of joy is almost equal to the joy itself.

Writing, it's a way of talking without interruption.

Words of wisdom sometimes fall on deaf ears; but a kind word is never lost.

The bursts of laughter are better when the food is good.

A compliment deserves a kiss.

In life, there are two choices every morning: either you go back to sleep to follow your dreams, or you rise to make them happen.

 

And in spite of this year which we'd mostly rather throw in la poubelle, we hope you have a very Merry (and safe!) Christmas celebration and especially a Happy New Year!

 

In the COMMENTS: Lynne, you were so clever to repurpose a garde corps as a headboard. Jane, my goodness, you are a true French cook. Thea, enjoy the island, it makes me sad to think of it. Back someday. Francine, felicitations on your arrival in Arizona. Frankl I hope you make it to France next year, we have so many friends who want to get here. Sandi, happy to help with CharlestonInkandArt on Etsy.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS: Betina recommends the Etsy shop, the Vagabond Thimbler, for unique and fancy homemade ornaments, and teddy bears in your choice of prints!  And from our authors: Joanne Marquardt has published several memoirs of France, like My Trip Around the Hexagon: Meandering in France. Debbie Woods has a French memoir too, Girl Lost, Found in France.