François de La Rochefoucauld Quotes

However we distrust the sincerity of those whom we talk with, we always believe them more sincere with us than with others.

Although all the qualities of mind may be united in a great genius, yet there are some which are special and peculiar to him; his views are unlimited; he always acts uniformly and with the same activity; he sees distant objects as if present; he comprehends and grasps the greatest, sees and notices the smallest matters; his thoughts are elevated, broad, just and intelligible. Nothing escapes his observation, and he often finds truth in spite of the obscurity that hides her from others. 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.

L'envie est plus irréconciliable que la haine.

From all this one might reasonably conclude that its (self-love) desires are kindled by itself alone rather than by the beauty or value of the things desired, which are given their price and their lustre by its taste alone, and that when it pursues things that are are to its liking it is running after itself

Few are sufficiently wise to prefer censure which is useful to praise which is treacherous.

The reason lovers never tire of one another’s company is because they never talk of anything but themselves.

Il y a des gens niais qui se connaissent et qui emploient habilement leur niaiserie.

Tout le monde se plaint de sa mémoire, et personne ne se plaint de son jugement.

There are few honest women who are not tired of what they do.

If we ever admit our shortcomings it is through vanity

We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones.

Il y a des gens qui n'auraient jamais été amoureux s'ils n'avaint jamais entendu parler de l'amour.

276. — Absence extinguishes small passions and increases great ones, as the wind will blow out a candle, and blow in a fire.

Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever.

Il n'est pas si dangereux de faire du mal à la plupart des hommes que de leur faire trop de bien.