Francois de La Rochefoucauld quotes

“Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We are more often treacherous through weakness than through calculation.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“If we resist our passions, it is more due to their weakness than our strength.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“The desire to seem clever often keeps us from being so.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“The intellect is always fooled by the heart.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We always get bored with those whom we bore.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We are strong enough to bear the misfortunes of others.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We would rather speak ill of ourselves than not talk about ourselves at all.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Why can we remember the tiniest detail that has happened to us, and not remember how many times we have told it to the same person.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Men give away nothing so liberally as their advice.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Perhaps being old is having lighted rooms inside your head, and people in them, acting. People you know, yet can't quite name.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“To know how to hide one's ability is great skill.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Hope, deceiving as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route.”

— 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

“Too great haste to repay an obligation is a kind of ingratitude.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“It takes nearly as much ability to know how to profit by good advice as to know how to act for one's self.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones. ”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Confidence contributes more to conversation than wit.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We would frequently be ashamed of our good deeds if people saw all of the motives that produced them.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Nothing is so contagious as example; and we never do any great good or evil which does not produce its like. ”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“A wise man thinks it more advantageous not to join the battle than to win.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Pride does not wish to owe and vanity does not wish to pay. ”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Conceit causes more conversation than wit.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“The reason that lovers never weary each other is because they are always talking about themselves.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“There are very few people who are not ashamed of having been in love when they no longer love each other. ”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Virtue would go far if vanity did not keep it company.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We always love those who admire us, but we do not always love those whom we admire.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We only acknowledge small faults in order to make it appear that we are free from great ones.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.”

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld