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It requires no small degree of ability to know when to conceal one's ability.
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
Conceal
Degree
Requires
Degrees
Small
Ability
More quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Whatever pretended causes we may blame our afflictions upon, it is often nothing but self-interest and vanity that produce them.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Satire is at once the most agreeable and most dangerous of mental qualities. It always pleases when it is refined, but we always fear those who use it too much yet satire should be allowed when unmixed with spite, and when the person satirized can join in the satire.
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
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
Our wisdom lies as much at the mercy of fortune as our possessions do.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We sometimes differ more widely from ourselves than we do from others.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The aversion to lying is often a hidden ambition to render our words credible and weighty, and to attach a religious aspect to our conversation.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
What renders other people's vanity insufferable is that it wounds our own.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We are sometimes as different from ourselves as we are from others.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
It is not always from valor or from chastity that men are brave, and women chaste.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A readiness to believe ill of others, before we have duly examined it, is the effect of laziness and pride. We are eager to find aculprit, and loath to give ourselves the trouble of examining the crime.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
There are follies as catching as contagious disorders.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Before strongly desiring anything, we should look carefully into the happiness of its present owner.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
It is a wearisome disease to preserve health by too strict a regimen.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The name and pretense of virtue is as serviceable to self-interest as are real vices.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Eloquence resides as much in the tone of voice, in the eyes, and in the expression of the face, as in the choice of words.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Jealousy is in some measure just and reasonable, since it merely aims at keeping something that belongs to us or we think belongsto us, whereas envy is a frenzy that cannot bear anything that belongs to others.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
There are some good marriages, but practically no delightful ones.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The qualities we have do not make us so ridiculous as those which we affect to have. [Fr., On n'est jamais si ridicule par les qualites que l'on a que par celles que l'on affecte d'avoir.]
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A man for whom accident discovers sense, is not a rational being. A man only is so who understands, who distinguishes, who tests it.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
