Sébastien-Roch-Nicolas Chamfort

Born Sébastien-Roch Nicolas in Clermont-Ferrand, he became known as Nicolas Chamfort and built a reputation in Paris as a playwright, man of letters, and master of the maxim. He moved in literary and aristocratic circles before the Revolution, winning attention for his wit and for works in the salons and on the stage.

Chamfort later embraced the French Revolution and became involved in public life, including work connected with the Jacobin Club. His writing is still best known for its epigrams and aphorisms: brief, polished, often severe observations about society, power, love, and human weakness.

His final years were troubled and dramatic, and he died in 1794 after a period of political danger and personal suffering. Today he is remembered as one of the great French moralistes, admired for a style that is concise, elegant, and unsparingly honest.