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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.
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
Without
Sloth
Nothing
Deserves
Men
Wicked
Generally
Goodness
Deserve
Strength
Impotence
Power
Praised
More quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We should wish for few things with eagerness, if we perfectly knew the nature of that which was the object of our desire.
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Were we perfectly acquainted with the object, we should never passionately desire it.
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Love often leads on to ambition, but seldom does one return from ambition to love.
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The passions do very often give birth to others of a nature most contrary to their own. Thus avarice sometimes brings forth prodigality, and prodigality avarice a man's resolution is very often the effect of levity, and his boldness that of cowardice and fear.
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Praise is a more ingenious, concealed, and subtle kind of flattery, that satisfies both the giver and the receiver, though by verydifferent ways. The one accepts it as a reward due to his merit the other gives it that he may be looked upon as a just and discerning person.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Listening well and answering well is one of the greatest perfections that can be obtained in conversation.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Humility is often merely feigned submissiveness assumed in order to subject others, an artifice of pride which stoops to conquer, and although pride has a thousand ways of transforming itself it is never so well disguised and able to take people in as when masquerading as humility.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Moderation resembles temperance. We are not so unwilling to eat more, as afraid of doing ourselves harm by it.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The vices enter into the composition of the virtues, as poisons into that of medicines. Prudence collects and arranges them, and uses them beneficially against the ills of life.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Those only are despicable who fear to be despised.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
There is at least as much eloquence in the voice, eyes, and air of a speaker as in his choice of words.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
True bravery is shown by performing without witness what one might be capable of doing before all the world.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Cunning and treachery proceed from want of capacity.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
To be a great man it is necessary to know how to profit by the whole of our good fortune.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. The glory of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acpuire it.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Youth changes its tastes by the warmth of its blood age retains its tastes by habit.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The reason we do not let our friends see the very bottom of our hearts is not so much distrust of them as distrust of ourselves.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A fashionable woman is always in love - with herself.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
No men are oftener wrong than those that can least bear to be so.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
However we may conceal our passions under the veil ... there is always some place where they peep out.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
