Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Jealously is always born with love but it does not die with it.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Jealousy contains more of self-love than of love.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Everyone complains of the badness of his memory, but nobody of his judgment.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

If I advance, follow me! If I retreat, kill me! If I die, avenge me!

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Listening well and answering well is one of the greatest perfections that can be obtained in conversation.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

What makes us so bitter against people who outwit us is that they think themselves cleverer than we are.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We are nearer loving those who hate us than those who love us more than we wish.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We love those who admire us, but not those whom we admire.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

What makes lovers never tire of one another is that they talk always about themselves.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

There is no disguise that can for long conceal love where it exists or simulate it where it does not.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

It is with true love as it is with ghosts; everyone talks about it, but few have seen it.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

If we are to judge of love by its consequences, it more nearly resembles hatred than friendship.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

There are few people who are not ashamed of their love affairs when the infatuation is over.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The more one loves a mistress, the more one is ready to hate her.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Although men flatter themselves with their great actions, they are not so often the result of a great design as of chance.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Chance corrects us of many faults that reason would not know how to correct.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Why is our memory good enough to recall to the last detail things that have happened to us, yet not good enough to recall how often we have told them to the same person.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

It is easier to know men in general, than men in particular.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Not all those who know their minds know their hearts as well.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The mind is always the patsy of the heart.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Before we set our hearts too much on anything, let us examine how happy are those who already possess it.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Moderation in people who are contented comes from that calm that good fortune lends to their spirit.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Moderation is an ostentatious proof of our strength of character.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The height of cleverness is being able to conceal it.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

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

— 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

We should often be ashamed of our finest actions if the world understood all the motives behind them.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We think very few people sensible, except those who are of our opinion.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We credit scarcely any persons with good sense except those who are of our opinion.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

In the human heart new passions are forever being born; the overthrow of one almost always means the rise of another.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Passion makes idiots of the cleverest men, and makes the biggest idiots clever.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

If we resist our passions, it is more through their weakness than from our strength.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The passions are the only orators which always persuade.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

When a man finds no peace within himself, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

A person well satisfied with themselves is seldom satisfied with others, and others, rarely are with them.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

There are people who in spite of their merit disgust us, and others who please us in spite of their faults.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Few things are impracticable in themselves; and it is for want of application, rather than of means, that men fail to succeed.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Those who occupy their minds with small matters, generally become incapable of greatness.

— 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

Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

When we disclaim praise, it is only showing our desire to be praised a second time.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

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

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

In all professions each affects a look and an exterior to appear what he wishes the world to believe that he is. Thus we may say that the whole world is made up of appearances.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

It is easier to appear worthy of a position one does not hold, than of the office which one fills.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The intellect is always fooled by the heart.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We are never so ridiculous by the qualities we have, as by those we affect to have.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

One can find women who have never had one love affair, but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We have more ability than will power, and it is often an excuse to ourselves that we imagine that things are impossible.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Honest people will respect us for our merit: the public, for our luck.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

How can we accept another to keep our secret if we have been unable to keep it ourselves.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The confidence which we have in ourselves gives birth to much of that which we have in others.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Lovers never get tired of each other because they are forever talking about themselves.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The shame that arises from praise which we do not deserve often makes us do things we should otherwise never have attempted.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Weak people cannot be sincere.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

If it requires great tact to speak to the purpose, it requires no less to know when to be silent.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Passions are the only orators to always convinces us.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We all have enough strength to endure the misfortunes of others.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Nothing prevents one from appearing natural as the desire to appear natural.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Taste may change, but inclination never.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The happiness and misery of men depend no less on temper than fortune.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Timidity is a fault for which it is dangerous to reprove persons whom we wish to correct of it.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Perfect Valor is to do, without a witness, all that we could do before the whole world.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

What makes vanity so insufferable to us, is that it hurts our own.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We do not despise all those who have vices, but we do despise those that have no virtue.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

We are more often treacherous, through weakness than through calculation.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

It is more easy to be wise for others than for ourselves.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

It is great folly to wish to be wise all alone.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

As it is the characteristic of great wits to say much in few words, so small wits seem to have the gift of speaking much and saying nothing.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

It's the height of folly to want to be the only wise one.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The common foible of women who have been handsome is to forget that they are no longer so.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Bodily labor alleviates the pains of the mind and from this arises the happiness of the poor.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

He who imagines he can do without the world deceives himself much; but he who fancies the world cannot do without him is still more mistaken.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld

There are few people who are more often in the wrong than those who cannot endure to be so.

— Francois De La Rochefoucauld