Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) was a French writer and moralist best known for his collection of maxims and reflections on human nature and society. His writing is notable for its insight, wit, and timeless relevance, and his work continues to inspire and influence people today.
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the 100 genius quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld, exploring his life and work to uncover the wisdom and insight that made him such an enduring figure in literature and philosophy.
100 Fascinating Francois de la Rochefoucauld
We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others, that in the end, we become disguised to ourselves.
No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.
Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.
Philosophy triumphs easily over past evils and future evils; but present evils triumph over it.
It is a great ability to be able to conceal one’s ability.
Nobody deserves to be praised for goodness unless he is strong enough to be bad, for any other goodness is usually merely inertia or lack of will-power.
Marriage is the only war in which you sleep with the enemy.
True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen.
If we resist our passions, it is more due to their weakness than our strength.
Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and fans the bonfire.
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.
The truest mark of being born with great qualities, is being born without envy.
Old people like to give good advice, as solace for no longer being able to provide bad examples.
Neither the sun nor death can be looked at steadily.
Not to love is in love an infallible means of being loved.
There is only one kind of love, but there are a thousand imitations.
The constancy of the wise is the art to contain their excitement in the heart.
If we had no faults we should not take so much pleasure in noting those of others.
Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example.
There are some bad qualities which make great talents.
Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side.
One kind of flirtation is to boast we never flirt.
Perfect behavior is born of complete indifference.
It is with true love as it is with ghosts; everyone talks about it, but few have seen it.
The intellect is always fooled by the heart.
It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.
Funeral pomp is more for the vanity of the living than for the honor of the dead.
Our merit gains us the esteem of the virtuous-our star that of the public.
We often forgive those who bore us, but never those whom we bore.
Our virtues are most frequently but vices in disguise.
No man is clever enough to know all the evil he does.
We always love those who admire us, but we do not always love those whom we admire.
Old people love to give good advice; it compensates them for their inability to set a bad example.
We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.
A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire.
Love of fame, fear of disgrace, schemes for advancement; desire to make life comfortable and pleasant, and the urge to humiliate others are often at the root of the valor that men hold in such high esteem.
We would rather speak ill of ourselves than not talk about ourselves at all.
Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer provide bad examples.
The surest proof of being endowed with noble qualities is to be free from envy.
There are very few people who are not ashamed of having been in love when they no longer love each other.
Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.
True love is like ghosts, which everybody talks about and few have seen.
There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not.
Gratitude, in most men, is only a strong and secret hope of greater favors.
Self-love is the greatest of all flatterers.
The truest way to be deceived is to think oneself smarter than others.
Most of our faults are more pardonable than the means we use to conceal them.
If we are to judge of love by its consequences, it more nearly resembles hatred than friendship.
Quarrels would not last long if the fault was only on one side.
Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy.
The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again.
If we have not peace within ourselves, it is in vain to seek it from outward sources.
The confidence which we have in ourselves engenders the greatest part of that which we have in others.
The desire to appear clever often prevents one from being so.
Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them.
There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not.
There are good marriages, but there was none of delicious.
One cannot answer for his courage when he has never been in danger.
However rare true love may be, it is less so than true friendship.
What we take for virtue is often nothing but an assemblage of different actions, and of different interests, that fortune or our industry knows how to arrange.
Confidence contributes more to conversation than wit.
We confess to little faults only to persuade ourselves we have no great ones.
It takes more strength of character to withstand good fortune than bad.
One can find women who have never had one love affair, but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one.
Perhaps being old is having lighted rooms inside your head, and people in them, acting. People you know, yet can’t quite name.
There are some people who would never have fallen in love if they had not heard there was such a thing.
We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.
We are always much better pleased to see those whom we have obliged than those who have obliged us.
Perfect courage is to do without witnesses what one would be capable of doing before all the world.
Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding.
To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of conversation.
Some men are so full of themselves that when they fall in love, they amuse themselves rather with their own passion than with the person they love.
We are strong enough to bear the misfortunes of others.
A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice.
One forgives to the degree that one loves.
There is a kind of revolution of so general a character that it changes the tastes as well as the fortunes of the world.
We confess to little faults only to persuade others that we have no great ones.
Nothing prevents us being natural so much as the desire to appear so.
Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding.
In friendship as well as love, ignorance very often contributes more to our happiness than knowledge.
No man is clever enough to know all the evil he does.
The height of cleverness is to be able to conceal it.
The heart is forever making the head its fool.
Philosophy triumphs easily over past, and over future evils, but present evils triumph over philosophy.
The greatest miracle of love is the cure of coquetry.
One can find women who have never had one love affair, but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one.
When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
The pleasure of love is in loving; we are happier in the passion we feel than in what we inspire.
Men give away nothing as so liberally as their advice.
We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.
Passion makes idiots of the cleverest men, and makes the biggest idiots clever.
High fortune makes both our virtues and vices stand out as objects that are brought clearly to view by the light.
A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and the one that we take the least care of all to acquire.
Those who apply themselves too much to little things often become incapable of great ones.
To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.
The pleasure of love is in the loving; and there is more joy in the passion one feels than in that which one inspires.
Most of our faults are more pardonable than the means we use to conceal them.
We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones.
Jealousy contains more of self-love than of love.
Affected simplicity is refined imposture.
La Rochefoucauld’s Legacy
Francois de La Rochefoucauld was a French writer and moralist who lived in the 17th century. He is best known for his collection of maxims and reflections on human nature and society, which continue to be studied and admired today. La Rochefoucauld’s legacy is multifaceted and encompasses his literary contributions, influence on French culture and language, and impact on studying human psychology and behavior.
1. Maxims
La Rochefoucauld’s most famous work is his “Maxims,” a collection of aphorisms and reflections on the human condition. The maxims explore the complexities of human nature, exposing the often-hidden motives and desires that drive human behavior. They are notable for their insight and wit, and they continue to be studied and quoted by scholars and thinkers in fields ranging from philosophy to psychology to literature.
La Rochefoucauld’s legacy also extends to his impact on French culture and language. His writing style and language helped shape French literature and culture, and his maxims have become an enduring part of the French literary canon. His influence on the French language can still be seen today, as many of his phrases and expressions have become common idioms in modern French.
2. Study of human psychology and behavior
Finally, La Rochefoucauld’s legacy is defined by his impact on studying human psychology and behavior. His exploration of human nature and the complexities of human motivation helped to pave the way for the development of modern psychology and the study of human behavior. His maxims continue to be studied and analyzed by psychologists and other scholars who seek to better understand the mysteries of the human psyche.
Wrapping Up
Francois de La Rochefoucauld’s legacy is enduring literary and intellectual significance. His insights into human nature’s and behavior’s complexities continue to inspire and inform thinkers and scholars today. His influence on French culture and language cannot be overstated. He was a master of aphorism, and his legacy is a testament to the power of language and insight to shape our understanding of the world around us. We hope these 100 quotes gave you an insight into his wisdom and wit.
