Share
×
Inspirational Quotes
Authors
Professions
Topics
Tags
Quote
There is merit without rank, but there is no rank without some merit.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Share
Change background
T
T
T
Change font
Original
TAGS & TOPICS
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
Rank
Merit
Without
More quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We are not fond of praising, and never praise any one except from interested motives. Praise is a clever, concealed, and delicate flattery, which gratifies in different ways the giver and the receiver. The one takes it as a recompense of his merit, and the other bestows it to display his equity and discernment.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The most violent passions sometimes leave us at rest, but vanity agitates us constantly.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We often are consoled by our want of reason for misfortunes that reason could not have comforted.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Our desires always disappoint us for though we meet with something that gives us satisfaction, yet it never thoroughly answers our expectation. [However disappointment can always be removed if we remember it could have turned out worse.]
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
What makes lovers never tire of one another is that they talk always about themselves.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
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.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Self-love is more cunning than the most cunning man in the world.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The temperament that produces a talent for little things is the opposite of that required for great ones.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
He who lives without committing any folly is not so wise as he thinks. [Fr., Qui vit sans folie n'est pas si sage qu'il croit.]
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Constancy in love is of two sorts: One is the effect of new excellencies that are always presenting themselves afresh, and attractour affections continually the other is only from a point of honor, and a taking of pride not to change.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Customary use of artifice is the sign of a small mind, and it almost always happens that he who uses it to cover one spot uncovers himself in another.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Jealousy is always born with love, but does not die with it. In jealousy there is more of self-love than of love to another.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Flattery is a counterfeit money which, but for vanity, would have no circulation.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
He who refuses praise the first time that it is offered does so because he would hear it a second time.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Self-love increases or diminishes for us the good qualities of our friends, in proportion to the satisfaction we feel with them and we judge of their merit by the manner in which they act towards us.
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
Self-interest makes some people blind, and others sharp-sighted.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The vivacity that augments with years is not far from folly.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Passions often produce their contraries: avarice sometimes leads to prodigality, and prodigality to avarice we are often obstinate through weakness and daring through timidity.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Wisdom is the mind what health is to the body.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
