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We often credit ourselves with vices the reverse of what we have, thus when weak we boast of our obstinacy.
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
Often
Obstinacy
Boast
Reverse
Vices
Credit
Thus
Weak
Advice
More quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Reconciliation with our enemies is simply a desire to better our condition, a weariness of war, or the fear of some unlucky thing from occurring.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We sometimes think that we hate flattery, but we only hate the manner in which it is done. [Fr., On croit quelquefoir hair la flatterie maid on ne hait que a maniere de flatter.]
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
In the human heart one generation of passions follows another from the ashes of one springs the spark of the next.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Pride indemnifies itself and loses nothing even when it casts away vanity.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The generality of friends puts us out of conceit with friendship just as the generality of religious people puts us out of conceit with religion.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
There are no events so disastrous that adroit men do not draw some advantage from them, nor any so fortunate that the imprudent cannot turn to their own prejudice.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
If we are to judge of love by its consequences, it more nearly resembles hatred than friendship.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A man often believes himself leader when he is led as his mind endeavors to reach one goal, his heart insensibly drags him towards another.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
One thing which makes us find so few people who appear reasonable and agreeable in conversation is, that there is scarcely any one who does not think more of what he is about to say than of answering precisely what is said to him.
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Whatever ignominy or disgrace we have incurred, it is almost always in our power to reestablish our reputation.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Constancy in love is a perpetual inconstancy which fixes our hearts successively to all the qualities of the person loved--sometimes admiring one and sometimes another above all the rest--so that this constancy roves as far as it can, and is no better than inconstancy, confined within the compass of one person.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Friendship is only a reciprocal conciliation of interests, and an exchange of good offices it is a species of commerce out of which self-love always expects to gain something.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
All who know their own minds know not their own hearts.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Few things are needed to make a wise man happy nothing can make a fool content that is why most men are miserable.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Clemency, which we make a virtue of, proceeds sometimes from vanity, sometimes from indolence, often from fear, and almost always from a mixture of all three.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
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.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Humility is often a false front we employ to gain power over others.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A small degree of wit, accompanied by good sense, is less tiresome in the long run than a great amount of wit without it.
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.
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None deserve praise for being good who have not the spirit to be bad: goodness, for the most part, is nothing but indolence or weakness of will.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
