Share
×
Inspirational Quotes
Authors
Professions
Topics
Tags
Quote
We sometimes condemn the present, by praising the past and show our contempt of what is now, by our esteem for what is no more.
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
Show
Shows
Past
Praising
Sometimes
Condemn
Contempt
Esteem
Praise
Present
More quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The esteem of good men is the reward of our worth, but the reputation of the world in general is the gift of our fate.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Politeness is a desire to be treated politely, and to be esteemed polite oneself.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We do not lack strength so much as the will to use it and very often our imagining that things are impossible is nothing but an excuse of our own contriving, to reconcile ourselves to our own idleness.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
He is a truly virtuous man who wishes always to be open to the observation of honest men.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
When a man must force himself to be faithful in his love, this is hardly better than unfaithfulness.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
It is easier to deceive yourself, and to do so unperceived, than to deceive another.
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
Few things are impracticable in themselves and it is for want of application, rather than of means, that men fail to succeed.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all the motives which produced them.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The man that thinks he loves his mistress for her own sake is mightily mistaken.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The most subtle of our acts is to simulate blindness for snares that we know are set for us.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A respectable man may love madly, but not foolishly.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
What we take for virtue is often but an assemblage of various ambitions and activities that chance, or our own astuteness, have arranged in a certain manner and it is not always out of courage or purity that men are brave, and women chaste.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
A weak mind is the only defect out of our power to mend.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
There are people who in spite of their merit disgust us and others who please us in spite of their faults.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We have more indolence in the mind than in the body.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Moderation is a fear of falling into that envy and contempt which those who grow giddy with their good fortune quite justly draw upon themselves. It is a vain boasting of the greatness of our mind.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
On why I don't trust democracy without extremely powerful systems of accountability and recall What seems to be generosity is often only disguised ambition - which despises small interests to gain great ones.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Men would not live in society long if they were not each others dupes.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We often boast that we are never bored but yet we are so conceited that we do not perceive how often we bore others.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
