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François de La Rochefoucauld
Find the best quotes, maxims and aphorisms of François de La Rochefoucauld
Biography : French moralist, author of maxims and memoirs.
Born: 1613 - Died: 1680
Period:
17th century
Place of birth: France
France
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François de La Rochefoucauld - Quotes



It would seem that nature, which has so wisely ordered the organs of our body for our happiness, has also given us pride to spare us the mortification of knowing our imperfections.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Pride is much the same in all men, the only difference is the method and manner of showing it.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Pride indemnifies itself and loses nothing even when it casts away vanity.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Jealousy lives upon doubt; and comes to an end or becomes a fury as soon as it passes from doubt to certainty.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





The evil that we do does not attract to us so much persecution and hatred as our good qualities.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Jealousy is in a manner just and reasonable, as it tends to preserve a good which belongs, or which we believe belongs to us, on the other hand envy is a fury which cannot endure the happiness of others.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





People are often vain of their passions, even of the worst, but envy is a passion so timid and shame-faced that no one ever dare avow her.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





We need greater virtues to sustain good than evil fortune.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





When great men permit themselves to be cast down by the continuance of misfortune, they show us that they were only sustained by ambition, and not by their mind; so that PLUS a great vanity, heroes are made like other men.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Few people know death, we only endure it, usually from determination, and even from stupidity and custom; and most men only die because they know not how to prevent dying.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Moderation is caused by the fear of exciting the envy and contempt which those merit who are intoxicated with their good fortune; it is a vain display of our strength of mind, and in short the moderation of men at their greatest height is only a desire to appear greater than their fortune.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





This clemency of which they make a merit, arises oftentimes from vanity, sometimes from idleness, oftentimes from fear, and almost always from all three combined.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





The clemency of Princes is often but policy to win the affections of the people.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Our self love endures more impatiently the condemnation of our tastes than of our opinions.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Whatever care we take to conceal our passions under the appearances of piety and honour, they are always to be seen through these veils.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Passions often produce their contraries: avarice sometimes leads to prodigality, and prodigality to avarice; we are often obstinate through weakness and daring though timidity.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





The passions possess a certain injustice and self interest which makes it dangerous to follow them, and in reality we should distrust them even when they appear most trustworthy.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





The passions are the only advocates which always persuade. They are a natural art, the rules of which are infallible; and the simplest man with passion will be more persuasive than the most eloquent without.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Great and striking actions which dazzle the eyes are represented by politicians as the effect of great designs, instead of which they are commonly caused by the temper and the passions. Thus the war between Augustus and Anthony, which is set down to the ambition they entertained of making themselves masters of the world, was probably but an effect of jealousy.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Passion often renders the most clever man a fool, and even sometimes renders the most foolish man clever.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





The duration of our passions is no more dependant upon us than the duration of our life.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Self love is more cunning than the most cunning man in the world.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Whatever discoveries have been made in the region of self-love, there remain many unexplored territories there.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Self-love is the greatest of flatterers.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





What we term virtue is often but a mass of various actions and divers interests, which fortune, or our own industry, manage to arrange; and it is not always from valour or from chastity that men are brave, and women chaste.
François de La Rochefoucauld - Reflections, or Sentences and Moral Maxims / 





Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them.
François de La Rochefoucauld





Great souls are not those who have fewer passions and more virtues than others, but only those who have greater designs.
François de La Rochefoucauld





Though nature be ever so generous, yet can she not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part too and till both concur, the work cannot be perfected.
François de La Rochefoucauld





What makes the pain we feel from shame and jealousy so cutting is that vanity can give us no assistance in bearing them.
François de La Rochefoucauld





We may sooner be brought to love them that hate us, than them that love us more than we would have them do.
François de La Rochefoucauld






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