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Selfishness is the grand moving principle of nine-tenths of our actions.

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
Motive
Principle
Nine
Actions
Principles
Moving
Tenths
Action
Selfishness
Grand

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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.
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There are two sorts of constancy in love one arises from continually discovering in the loved person new subjects for love, the other arises from our making a merit of being constant.
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The name and pretense of virtue is as serviceable to self-interest as are real vices.
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Things often offer themselves to our mind in a more finished form in the very first thought, than we might have made them by muchart and study.
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Women can less easily surmount their coquetry than their passions.
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The head does not know how to play the part of the heart for long.
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A lofty mind always thinks nobly, it easily creates vivid, agreeable, and natural fancies, places them in their best light, clothes them with all appropriate adornments, studies others' tastes, and clears away from its own thoughts all that is useless and disagreeable.
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Those who occupy their minds with small matters, generally become incapable of greatness.
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To praise princes for virtues they do not possess is to insult them without fear of consequences.
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The mind is always the patsy of the heart.
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The caprice of our temper is even more whimsical than that of Fortune.
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History never embraces more than a small part of reality
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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.]
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We love much better those who endeavor to imitate us, than those who strive to equal us. For imitation is a sign of esteem, but competition of envy.
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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.
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Fortune and humor govern the world.
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Though nature be ever so generous, yet can she not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part too and till both concur, the work cannot be perfected.
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It is with true love as it is with ghosts everyone talks about it, but few have seen it.
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We should manage our fortune as we do our health - enjoy it when good, be patient when it is bad, and never apply violent remedies except in an extreme necessity
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