Quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is with an old love as it is with old age a man lives to all the miseries, but is dead to all the pleasures.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

age

Old age is a tyrant, who forbids, under pain of death, the pleasures of youth.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

age

The defects of the mind, like those of the face, grow worse with age.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

age

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

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

alone

Though nature be ever so generous, yet can she not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part too and till both concur, the work cannot be perfected.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

alone

Being a blockhead is sometimes the best security against being cheated by a man of wit.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

best

In the misfortunes of our best friends we always find something not altogether displeasing to us.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

best

We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all the motives which produced them.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

best

We should often blush for our very best actions, if the world did but see all the motives upon which they were done.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

best

What men have called friendship is only a social arrangement, a mutual adjustment of interests, an interchange of services given and received it is, in sum, simply a business from which those involved propose to derive a steady profit for their own self-love.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

business

Jealousy is bred in doubts. When those doubts change into certainties, then the passion either ceases or turns absolute madness.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

change

Taste may change, but inclination never.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

change

Heat of blood makes young people change their inclinations often, and habit makes old ones keep to theirs a great while.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

change

Perfect courage is to do without witnesses what one would be capable of doing with the world looking on.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

courage

On neither the sun, nor death, can a man look fixedly.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

death

Old age is a tyrant, who forbids, under pain of death, the pleasures of youth.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

death

Neither the sun nor death can be looked at with a steady eye.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

death

Though men are apt to flatter and exalt themselves with their great achievements, yet these are, in truth, very often owing not so much to design as chance.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

design

We come altogether fresh and raw into the several stages of life, and often find ourselves without experience, despite our years.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

experience

Repentance is not so much remorse for what we have done as the fear of the consequences.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

fear

Only the contemptible fear contempt.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

fear

Love can no more continue without a constant motion than fire can and when once you take hope and fear away, you take from it its very life and being.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

fear

One forgives to the degree that one loves.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

forgiveness

A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

friendship

However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

friendship

What men have called friendship is only a social arrangement, a mutual adjustment of interests, an interchange of services given and received it is, in sum, simply a business from which those involved propose to derive a steady profit for their own self-love.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

friendship

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

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

friendship

In friendship as well as love, ignorance very often contributes more to our happiness than knowledge.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

friendship

Philosophy finds it an easy matter to vanquish past and future evils, but the present are commonly too hard for it.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

future

Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

good

Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

good

We seldom find any person of good sense, except those who share our opinions.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

good

Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

great

As great minds have the faculty of saying a great deal in a few words, so lesser minds have a talent of talking much, and saying nothing.

-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

great

There is a kind of elevation which does not depend on fortune it is a certain air which distinguishes us, and seems to destine us for great things it is a price which we imperceptibly set upon ourselves.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is with an old love as it is with old age a man lives to all the miseries, but is dead to all the pleasures.

Old age is a tyrant, who forbids, under pain of death, the pleasures of youth.

The defects of the mind, like those of the face, grow worse with age.

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

Though nature be ever so generous, yet can she not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part too and till both concur, the work cannot be perfected.

Being a blockhead is sometimes the best security against being cheated by a man of wit.

In the misfortunes of our best friends we always find something not altogether displeasing to us.

We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all the motives which produced them.

We should often blush for our very best actions, if the world did but see all the motives upon which they were done.

What men have called friendship is only a social arrangement, a mutual adjustment of interests, an interchange of services given and received it is, in sum, simply a business from which those involved propose to derive a steady profit for their own self-love.

Jealousy is bred in doubts. When those doubts change into certainties, then the passion either ceases or turns absolute madness.

Taste may change, but inclination never.

Heat of blood makes young people change their inclinations often, and habit makes old ones keep to theirs a great while.

Perfect courage is to do without witnesses what one would be capable of doing with the world looking on.

On neither the sun, nor death, can a man look fixedly.

Old age is a tyrant, who forbids, under pain of death, the pleasures of youth.

Neither the sun nor death can be looked at with a steady eye.

Though men are apt to flatter and exalt themselves with their great achievements, yet these are, in truth, very often owing not so much to design as chance.

We come altogether fresh and raw into the several stages of life, and often find ourselves without experience, despite our years.

Repentance is not so much remorse for what we have done as the fear of the consequences.

Only the contemptible fear contempt.

Love can no more continue without a constant motion than fire can and when once you take hope and fear away, you take from it its very life and being.

One forgives to the degree that one loves.

A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire.

However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship.

What men have called friendship is only a social arrangement, a mutual adjustment of interests, an interchange of services given and received it is, in sum, simply a business from which those involved propose to derive a steady profit for their own self-love.

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

In friendship as well as love, ignorance very often contributes more to our happiness than knowledge.

Philosophy finds it an easy matter to vanquish past and future evils, but the present are commonly too hard for it.

Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example.

Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them.

We seldom find any person of good sense, except those who share our opinions.

Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires.

As great minds have the faculty of saying a great deal in a few words, so lesser minds have a talent of talking much, and saying nothing.

There is a kind of elevation which does not depend on fortune it is a certain air which distinguishes us, and seems to destine us for great things it is a price which we imperceptibly set upon ourselves.

It is a great act of cleverness to be able to conceal one's being clever.

Other Authors to Explore

Carlos Castaneda

Frederick Douglass

Malcolm Boyd

Medgar Evers

Usain Bolt

Johannes Kepler

Bruce Willis

Dan Auerbach