François de La Rochefoucauld Quotes

C’est une espèce de bonheur, de connaître jusqu’à quel point on doit être malheureux.

22. — Philosophy triumphs easily over past evils and future evils; but present evils triumph over it.

When not prompted by vanity we say little.

It is more difficult to avoid being ruled than to rule others.

There exists an excess of good and evil which surpasses our comprehension

It is a very serious thing indeed: Nine times in ten ’tis but caprice or fashion, Coquetry, or a wish to take the lead, The pride of a mere child with a new sash on. Or wish to make a rival’s bosom bleed: But the {tenth} instance will be a tornado, For there’s no saying what they will or may do.” { — Lord Byron,} Don Juan, canto xii. stanza 77.]

"En la amistad como en el amor se es más feliz por las cosas que se ignoran que por las que se saben".

L'amour de la justice n’est en la plupart des hommes que la crainte de souffrir l’injustice.

The reason why so few persons are agreeable in conversation is that each thinks more of what he desires to say, than of what the others say, and that we make bad listeners when we want to speak.

Whatever disgrace we may have deserved, it is almost always in our power to re-establish our character.

Thousands of people with good qualities are displeasing; thousands pleasing with far less abilities, and why? Because the first wish to appear to be what they are not, the second are what they appear. Some of the advantages or disadvantages that we have received from nature please in proportion as we know the air, the style, the manner, the sentiments that coincide with our condition and our appearance, and displease in the proportion they are removed from that point.

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Moderation has been called a virtue to limit the ambition of great men, and to console undistinguished people for their want of fortune and their lack of merit.

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

Dieu a permis, pour punir l’homme du péché originel, qu’il se fit un dieu de son amour-propre pour en être tourmenté dans toutes les actions de sa vie.