Share
×
Inspirational Quotes
Authors
Professions
Topics
Tags
Quote
Numberless arts appear foolish whose secret motives are most wise and weighty.
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
Wise
Numberless
Secret
Weighty
Art
Motives
Motive
Arts
Appear
Foolish
Whose
More quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld
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
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
The accent of one's birthplace remains in the mind and in the heart as in one's speech.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
It is as easy to deceive one's self without perceiving it, as it is difficult to deceive others without their finding out.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
To praise princes for virtues they do not possess is to insult them without fear of consequences.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Old fools are greater fools than young ones.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
One kind of flirtation is to boast we never flirt.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
The whimsicalness of our own humor is a thousand times more fickle and unaccountable than what we blame so much in fortune.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Fortune never appears so blind as to those to whom she does no good.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Great souls are not those who have fewer passions and more virtues than others, but only those who have greater designs.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
No man deserves to be praised for his goodness, who has it not in his power to be wicked. Goodness without that power is generally nothing more than sloth, or an impotence of will.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Pity is a sense of our own misfortunes in those of another man it is a sort of foresight of the disasters which may befall ourselves. We assist others,, in order that they may assist us on like occasions so that the services we offer to the unfortunate are in reality so many anticipated kindnesses to ourselves.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Idleness and constancy fix the mind to what it finds easy and agreeable. This habit always confines and cramps up our knowledge and no one has ever taken the trouble to stretch and carry his understanding as far as it could go.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Gratitude, in most men, is only a strong and secret hope of greater favors.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Men never desire anything very eagerly which they desire only by the dictates of reason.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Good taste comes more from the judgment than from the mind.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Our actions seem to have their lucky and unlucky stars, to which a great part of that blame and that commendation is due which is given to the actions themselves.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
We are more interested in making others believe we are happy than in trying to be happy ourselves.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Virtue would go far if vanity did not keep it company.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
