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A man often imagines that he acts, when he is acted upon.
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
Upon
Often
Action
Men
Imagines
Acted
Acts
Imagine
More quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld
It is a mistake to imagine, that the violent passions only, such as ambition and love, can triumph over the rest. Idleness, languid as it is, often masters them all she influences all our designs and actions, and insensibly consumes and destroys both passions and virtues.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Confidence in conversation has a greater share than wit.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We get so much in the habit of wearing disguises before others that we finally appear disguised before ourselves.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Our probity is not less at the mercy of fortune than our property.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Great and glorious events which dazzle the beholder are represented by politicians as the outcome of grand designs whereas they are usually products of temperaments and passions.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Marriage is the only war in which you sleep with the enemy.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A great many men's gratitude is nothing but a secret desire to hook in more valuable kindnesses hereafter.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Some follies are caught, like contagious diseases.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Love's greatest miracle is the curing of coquetry.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
It is pointless for a woman to be young unless pretty, or to be pretty unless young.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The reason why most women have so little sense of friendship is that this is but a cold and flat passion to those that have felt that of love.
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
There are crimes which become innocent and even glorious through their splendor, number and excess.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We often see malefactors, when they are led to execution, put on resolution and a contempt of death which, in truth, is nothing else but fearing to look it in the face--so that this pretended bravery may very truly be said to do the same good office to their mind that the blindfold does to their eyes.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
No accidents are so unlucky [bad] but that the wise may draw some advantage [good] from them.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The strongest symptom of wisdom in man is his being sensible of his own follies.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
It is not expedient or wise to examine our friends too closely few persons are raised in our esteem by a close examination.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We are eager to believe that others are flawed because we are eager to believe in what we wish for.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Some people are so extremely whiffling and inconsiderable that they are as far from any real faults as from substantial virtues.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
There are some good marriages, but practically no delightful ones.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld