La Rochefoucauld Quotes
We may say of agreeableness, as distinct from beauty, that it is a symmetry whose rules are unknown.
The aversion to lying is often a hidden ambition to render our words credible and weighty, and to attach a religious aspect to our conversation.
Our own distrust gives a fair pretence for the knavery of other people.
What we call generosity is for the most part only the vanity of giving; and we exercise it because we are more fond of that vanity than of the thing we give.
More men are guilty of treason through weakness than any studied design to betray.
All the passions are nothing else than different degrees of heat and cold of the blood.
Why can we remember the tiniest detail that has happened to us, and not remember how many times we have told it to the same person.
It is pointless for a woman to be young unless pretty, or to be pretty unless young.
Nothing should lessen our satisfaction with ourselves as much as when we notice that we disapprove of something at one time that we approve of at another time.
Chance corrects us of many faults that reason would not know how to correct.
He that would be a great man must learn to turn every accident to some advantage.
To be a great man it is necessary to know how to profit by the whole of our good fortune.
We often pay our debts not because it is only fair that we should, but to make future loans easier.
Philosophy finds it an easy matter to vanquish past and future evils, but the present are commonly too hard for it.
What makes the pain we feel from shame and jealousy so cutting is that vanity can give us no assistance in bearing them.
In all aspects of life, we take on a part and an appearance to seem to be what we wish to be--and thus the world is merely composed of actors.
Heat of blood makes young people change their inclinations often, and habit makes old ones keep to theirs a great while.
Repentance is not so much remorse for what we have done as the fear of the consequences.
No man deserves to be praised for his goodness, who has it not in his power to be wicked. Goodness without that power is generally nothing more than sloth, or an impotence of will.
If we resist our passions, it is more due to their weakness than our strength.
Our aversion to lying is commonly a secret ambition to make what we say considerable, and have every word received with a religious respect.
Hope, deceiving as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route.
The prospect of being pleased tomorrow will never console me for the boredom of today.
Narrowness of mind is often the cause of obstinacy; we do not easily believe beyond what we see.
However much we may distrust men's sincerity, we always believe they speak to us more sincerely than to others.
The moderation of fortunate people comes from the calm which good fortune gives to their tempers.
Passion often renders the most clever man a fool, and sometimes renders the most foolish man clever.
We had better appear what we are, than affect to appear what we are not.
Men may boast of their great actions; but they are more often the effects of chance than of design.
The art of using moderate abilities to advantage often brings greater results than actual brilliance
Perfect valour consists in doing without witnesses that which we would be capable of doing before everyone.
There are crimes which become innocent and even glorious through their splendor, number and excess.
Το know how to profit by good advice, requires nearly as much ability as to know how to act for one'self.