Francois De La Rochefoucauld
136 quotations
Weak people cannot be sincere.
If it requires great tact to speak to the purpose, it requires no less to know when to be silent.
Passions are the only orators to always convinces us.
We all have enough strength to endure the misfortunes of others.
Nothing prevents one from appearing natural as the desire to appear natural.
To know how to hide one's ability is great skill.
We like to see others, but don't like others to see through us.
The happiness and misery of men depend no less on temper than fortune.
Weakness of character is the only defect which cannot be amended.
There are few virtuous women who are not bored with their trade.
The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us.
Taste may change, but inclination never.
Timidity is a fault for which it is dangerous to reprove persons whom we wish to correct of it.
Perfect Valor is to do, without a witness, all that we could do before the whole world.
What makes vanity so insufferable to us, is that it hurts our own.
We do not despise all those who have vices, but we do despise those that have no virtue.
We are more often treacherous, through weakness than through calculation.
It is more easy to be wise for others than for ourselves.
It is great folly to wish to be wise all alone.
It's the height of folly to want to be the only wise one.
The common foible of women who have been handsome is to forget that they are no longer so.
Bodily labor alleviates the pains of the mind and from this arises the happiness of the poor.
There are few people who are more often in the wrong than those who cannot endure to be so.
We always love those who admire us; we do not always love those whom we admire.
The desire to seem clever often keeps us from being so.