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We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all the motives which produced them.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld

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Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Age: 66 †
Born: 1613
Born: September 15
Died: 1680
Died: March 17
Memoirist
Military Personnel
Writer
Paris
France
François VI
Duc de La Rochefoucauld
Prince de Marcillac
François
Duc de La Rochefoucauld
Action
Best
Motives
Feel
Produced
Feels
Motive
World
Ashamed
Actions
Often
Inspirational

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Our enemies' opinion of us comes closer to the truth than our own.
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Imagination does not enable us to invent as many different contradictions as there are by nature in every heart.
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Whatever good things people say of us, they tell us nothing new.
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The sure mark of one born with noble qualities is being born without envy.
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If we had no faults, we would not derive so much pleasure from noting those of other people.
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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.
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On why I don't trust democracy without extremely powerful systems of accountability and recall What seems to be generosity is often only disguised ambition - which despises small interests to gain great ones.
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Generally speaking, we would make a good bargain by renouncing all the good that people say of us, upon condition they would say no ill.
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There are some bad qualities which make great talents.
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The love of new acquaintance comes not so much from being weary of what we had before, or from any satisfaction there is in change, as from the distaste we feel in being too little admired by those that know us too well, and the hope of being more admired by those that know us less.
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