Francois de la rochefoucauld quotes

Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding.

Were we perfectly acquainted with the object, we should never passionately desire it.

Thinkers think and doers do. But until the thinkers do and the doers think, progress will be just another word in the already overburdened vocabulary by sense.

The defects of the mind, like those of the face, grow worse with age.

Sincerity is an openness of heart; we find it in very few people; what we usually see is only an artful dissimulation to win the confidence of others.

The simplest man with passion will be more persuasive than the most eloquent without.

Hope is the last thing that dies in man; and though it be exceedingly deceitful, yet it is of this good use to us, that while we are traveling through life it conducts us in an easier and more pleasant way to our journey's end.

Preserving health by too severe a rule is a worrisome malady.

It is easy to be wise on behalf of others than to be so for ourselves.

It is as common for tastes to change as it is uncommon for traits of character.

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.

The judgments our enemies make about us come nearer to the truth than those we make about ourselves.

He who imagines he can do without the world deceives himself much; but he who fancies the world cannot do without him is still more mistaken.

The intellect of the generality of women serves more to fortify their folly than their reason.

True eloquence consists in saying all that should be said, and that only.

Indolence, languid as it is, often masters both passions and virtues.

We are more often treacherous through weakness than through calculation.

When we disclaim praise, it is only showing our desire to be praised a second time.

Our virtues are often, in reality, no better than vices disguised.

Death, like the sun, cannot be looked at steadily.

We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.

The man who leaves a woman best pleased with herself is the one whom she will soonest wish to see.

We can be more clever than one, but not more clever than all.

Not to love is in love an infallible means of being loved.

We would frequently be ashamed of our good deeds if people saw all of the motives that produced them.

The happiness and unhappiness of men depends as much on their ethics as on fortune.

There is no better proof of a man's being truly good than his desiring to be constantly under the observation of good men.

Cunning and treachery are the offspring of incapacity.

Selfishness is the grand moving principle of nine-tenths of our actions.

No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.

We are lazier in our minds than in our bodies.

There is only one kind of love, but there are a thousand imitations.

Even women are perfect at the outset.

To achieve greatness one should live as if they will never die.

A wise man thinks it more advantageous not to join the battle than to win.

We arrive at the various stages of life quite as novices.

Eloquence: saying the proper thing and stopping.

All women are flirts, but some are restrained by shyness, and others by sense.

We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.

The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us.

Some men are so full of themselves that when they fall in love, they amuse themselves rather with their own passion than with theperson they love.

People's personalities, like buildings, have various facades, some pleasant to view, some not.

Love is to the soul of him who loves, what the soul is to the body which it animates.

Few things are needful to make the wise man happy, but nothing satisfies the fool; - and this is the reason why so many of mankind are miserable.

The passions are the only orators which always persuade.

No man is clever enough to know all the evil he does.

The less you trust others, the less you will be deceived.

Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.

As great minds have the faculty of saying a great deal in a few words, so lesser minds have a talent of talking much, and saying nothing.

Nothing is so contagious as example.

Esteem never makes ingrates.

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

I always say to myself, what is the most important thing we can think about at this extraordinary moment.

We rarely ever perceive others as being sensible, except for those who agree with us.

Sometimes, occasions occur in life which demand you to be a little foolish in order to skillfully extricate yourself.

Bodily labor alleviates the pains of the mind and from this arises the happiness of the poor

It takes more strength of character to withstand good fortune than bad.

One forgives to the degree that one loves.

It is no tragedy to do ungrateful people favors, but it is unbearable to be indebted to a scoundrel.

For most men the love of justice is only the fear of suffering injustice.

The constancy of the wise is only the art of keeping disquietude to one's self.

A man's happiness or unhappiness depends as much on his temperament as on his destiny.

All women seem by nature to be coquettes.

The best way to rise in society is to use all possible means of persuading people that one has already risen in society.

The height of cleverness is to be able to conceal it.

Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires.

Most of our faults are more pardonable than the means we use to conceal them.

A clever man reaps some benefit from the worst catastrophe, and a fool can turn even good luck to his disadvantage.

Marriage is the only war in which you sleep with the enemy.

To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of conversation.

We often boast that we are never bored; but yet we are so conceited that we do not perceive how often we bore others.

If we are incapable of finding peace in ourselves, it is pointless to search elsewhere.

Jealousy is nothing more than a fear of abandonment

Quarrels would not last long if the fault was only on one side.

It is pointless for a woman to be young unless pretty, or to be pretty unless young.

Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy they are, who already possess it.

One is never fortunate or as unfortunate as one imagines.

The world is full of pots jeering at kettles.

We sometimes condemn the present, by praising the past; and show our contempt of what is now, by our esteem for what is no more.

Small minds are much distressed by little things. Great minds see them all but are not upset by them.

To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.

It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.

There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not.

It is impossible to love a second time what we have really ceased to love.

No accidents are so unlucky [bad] but that the wise may draw some advantage [good] from them.

Coquetry is the essential characteristic, and the prevalent humor of women; but they do not all practice it, because the coquetry of some is restrained by fear or by reason.

It is much better to learn to deal with the ills we have now than to speculate on those that may befall us.

Perfect behavior is born of complete indifference.

Jealousy is the greatest of all evils, and the one that arouses the least pity in the person who causes it.

Humility is the worst form of conceit.

We often pay our debts not because it is only fair that we should, but to make future loans easier.

In order to succeed in the world people do their upmost to appear successful.

The only thing constant in life is change

The mind is always the patsy of the heart.

In the presence of some people we inevitably depart From ourselves: we are inaccurate, we say things we do not feel, And talk nonsense. When we get home we are conscious that we Have made fools of ourselves. Never go near these people.

The exceeding delight we take in talking about ourselves should give us cause to fear that we are giving but very little pleasureto our listeners.

The surest proof of being endowed with noble qualities is to be free from envy.

Not all those who know their minds know their hearts as well.

Only great men have great faults.

One can find women who have never had one love affair, but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one.

True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen.

The dullness of certain people is sometimes a sufficient security against the attack of an artful man.

There are some faults which, when well managed, make a greater figure than virtue itself.

The violence we do to ourselves in order to remain faithful to the one we love is hardly better than an act of infidelity.

In friendship as well as love, ignorance very often contributes more to our happiness than knowledge.

The force we use on ourselves, to prevent ourselves from loving, is often more cruel than the severest treatment at the hands of one loved.

However we may conceal our passions under the veil ... there is always some place where they peep out.

Idiots and lunatics see only their own wit.

Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example.

We like to read others but we do not like to be read.

Most men, like plants, possess hidden qualities which chance discovers.

Wisdom is the mind what health is to the body.

When our hatred is violent, it sinks us even beneath those we hate.

When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.

Gracefulness is to the body what understanding is to the mind.

Those who occupy their minds with small matters, generally become incapable of greatness.

Taste may change, but inclination never.

Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible.

We can never be certain of our courage until we have faced danger.

Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.

The strongest symptom of wisdom in man is his being sensible of his own follies.

We are more interested in making others believe we are happy than in trying to be happy ourselves.

Weak people cannot be sincere.

There are fine things that are more brilliant when they are unfinished than when finished too much.

The sure way to be cheated is to think one's self more cunning than others.