The 70 best phrases of François de La Rochefoucauld

François VI, Duke of La Rochefoucauld, was an important nobleman of 16th century France, noted as writer, poet, politician and philosopher, who left high moral and ethical values ​​for a functional and worthy. Thanks to his contributions, he was called the 'Prince of Marcillac'.

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The most interesting François de La Rochefoucauld phrases

To better understand the contributions that this aristocrat left on different concepts of humanity, from From love to loyalty, we bring you a collection of quotes and reflections on François de La Rochefoucauld.

1. It happens with true love as with apparitions; everyone talks about them, but very few have seen them.

True love doesn't happen as often as we wish.

2. The easiest way to be deceived is to believe that you are smarter than others.

Arrogance is a weakness that makes us vulnerable.

3. Solemnity is a trick of the body to hide the defects of the mind.

Not all kind people mean well.

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4. Foolish, is the name we generally give to those who don't think like us.

Each person has a different opinion and deserves respect, regardless of whether it coincides with ours.

5. If we judge love by most of its effects, it is more like hate than friendship.

Sometimes the passion in love is so excessive that it can lead to madness.

6. There is no disguise that can hide love for a long time where there is it, nor fake it where there isn't.

When you feel love for something or someone, it is impossible to hide for long.

7. We are never as happy or miserable as we think.

Our perception of the world and of ourselves is biased.

8. Sobriety is the cult of the body that prevents gorging on food.

Remember that our health is influenced by our eating habits.

9. We put more interest in making others believe that we are happy than in trying to be.

Internal happiness is reflected on the outside.

10. Sometimes we think we hate flattery and what is hated is the way of flattering.

We prefer flattery that makes us feel completely good, not one that has some implicit criticism.

11. Jealousy feeds on doubts and the truth undoes or fills them.

Jealousy is a representation of your own insecurity.

12. Silence is the safest match for the one who distrusts himself.

For those who do not trust themselves, staying withdrawn becomes their safe place.

13. It is more shameful to mistrust friends than to be deceived by them.

Mistrust leads to perpetual loneliness.

14. Everyone complains about his memory, but no one about his intelligence.

Intelligences are very varied, but not everyone uses it wisely.

15. Old people like to give good advice, to console themselves for not being able to set bad examples.

An interesting change of perspective.

16. To take revenge for an offense is to put yourself on the level of your enemies; to forgive them is to become superior to them.

Revenge only consumes us inside.

17. Repentance is not so much sorrow for the wrong we have done as fear of the wrong that may come to us as a consequence.

Repentance is a way to prevent the consequences of our actions from being more drastic.

18. Sometimes a fool has talent, but never good judgment.

Foolish people may have potential, but not everyone is willing to serve them.

19. Each age of life is new to us; no matter how old we are, inexperience still plagues us.

All stages of life have something that surprises us.

20. Temperament often determines the worth of men and the virtue of women.

It is our actions that show others who we really are.

21. Philosophy easily triumphs over past and future misadventures, but present misfortunes triumph over philosophy.

The unknown is the secret weapon of philosophy.

22. The duration of our passions depends as little on us as the duration of our lives.

Passions must be cared for and listened to.

23. The passions often engender others that are their opposites: avarice sometimes produces prodigality, and prodigality avarice; often we are firm because we are weak, and bold because we are cowardly.

This happens when we let ourselves be blinded by our passions.

24. Flattery is a kind of bad money, for which our vanity gives us coin.

Too much flattery makes us stop worrying about getting better.

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25. Some false things reproduce the truth so well that it would be a mistake in judgment not to be fooled by them.

All lies have a glimpse of reality.

26. We have no patience with other people's vanity because it is offensive to our own vanity.

We are selfish by nature.

27. To be successful we must do everything possible to appear successful.

There are those who say that we should see our success as if we had already achieved it.

28. Eating is a necessity, but smart eating is an art.

Food can be an enemy when we don't balance it in a healthy way.

29. Moderation is a quality invented in order to limit the ambition of great men and console the mediocre for their meager merits.

Everyone should be proud of the things they achieve, success is personal.

30. What makes lovers never get bored of being together is that they spend their time always talking about themselves.

A healthy relationship is not just caring for another, but maintaining our self-love.

31. Virtue would not go very far if vanity did not keep it company.

It is not bad to have ambitions, as long as they do not blind us.

32. We set rules for others and exceptions for ourselves.

We tend to make excuses for our behavior, while judging the actions of others.

33. You forgive while you love.

People who love have a more compassionate heart.

34. It is so frequent that tastes change, as extraordinary that inclinations vary.

We can all change our minds, that's called maturity.

35. Our self-esteem suffers with greater impatience the condemnation of our hobbies than that of our passions.

When we don't know what we should do to live how we want, our interior suffers.

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

Criticism helps us improve, praise can be a lie to comfort us.

37. Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue.

A reflection on hypocrisy for him.

38. The flatterer is the only speaker who always convinces us.

Many times we fall into the trap of those who know how to convince us.

39. It is necessary to have as much discretion to give advice as docility to receive it.

You have to know how to listen and speak when it is really necessary.

40. If the ridiculous side does not appear in some men, it is because we have looked for it well.

We all do something stupid at some point.

41. There are defects that, well managed, shine more than the same virtue.

We can use the defects as inspiration to create new things.

42. The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the most precious rights of man.

The freedom that we should all cherish, protect and maintain.

43. It is a great stupidity to want to be exclusively wise.

No one person knows everything, there is always something new to learn.

44. Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy.

Envy is a kind of mental fog that keeps us in perpetual hatred.

45. We all have enough strength to bear the misfortune of others.

Even though it feels like something impossible to overcome, we can get through eventualities.

46. In love, deceit generally outweighs mistrust.

The worst pain in a relationship is being betrayed by your partner.

47. There are few women whose charms outlive their beauty.

Beauty goes beyond physical appearance, it is a representation of our personality.

48. What appears to be generosity is often nothing more than disguised ambition, dismissing a small interest in order to secure a large one.

Many use charity as a way to gain power.

49. Those who apply themselves to trivial matters commonly become incapable of the great ones.

A way of saying that people who settle for simplicity do not seek to go further.

50. Most of our faults are more forgivable than the means we use to hide them.

It is preferable to be honest and admit mistakes in order to remedy them.

51. No matter how hard we try to cover the passions with appearances of piety and honor, they always manifest themselves through those veils.

Evil exists, even in 'good intentions'.

52. Passions are the only speakers that always persuade. They are like an art of nature whose rules are infallible; and the dullest man when passion dominates persuades better than the most eloquent one who lacks it.

Our passions lead us to want to fulfill our dreams, but we must be careful not to let it dominate us.

53. Self love is more resourceful than the most resourceful man in this world.

When we have high self-esteem, we are capable of achieving more things.

54. The laziness of our spirit is greater than that of our body.

Motivation starts in our mind.

55. When our hate is too strong, it places us below what we hate.

The best revenge is to show that we can move on regardless of the opinion of others.

56. Stubbornness is born of narrow-mindedness.

People who reject change is because they have a closed mind.

57. Sometimes we give advice, but we do not teach with our conduct.

Our words are worthless if our actions contradict them.

58. Sincerity is an outpouring of the heart. Very few have it; and what we ordinarily see is nothing more than a refined dissimulation to gain the trust of others.

Appreciate those who are honest with you, the truth may hurt, but it's better than living a lie.

59. Mediocre spirits generally condemn everything that is not within their reach.

The nature of the envious, destroy the happiness of others.

60. It is easier to be wise with others than with ourselves.

We tend to give great advice to others, but not put it into practice on ourselves.

61. If we didn't have flaws we wouldn't feel so much pleasure discovering those of others.

Sometimes we reflect our problems on others, because we don't want to admit our own.

62. The perfect courage consists in doing, without witnesses, what we would be able to do in front of the whole world.

Good deeds are done with honorable intentions, not to seek a reward.

63. Interest, which blinds some, dazzles others.

Interest should be seen as a form of motivation, so we avoid being consumed.

64. Knowing the things that make one miserable is already a kind of happiness.

To seek something better, we must be aware of our failures.

65. The true proof that one has been born with great qualities is to be born without envy.

The real challenge for those who have everything is to remain humble.

66. Love, like fire, cannot survive without continuous movement and dies as soon as it stops hoping or fearing.

Love also needs to grow, because if not, it withers.

67. We are so used to dressing up for others that in the end we dress up for ourselves.

When we want to please others, we forget what makes us happy.

68. The intention not to deceive never exposes us to being deceived many times.

Not only do you have to be good people, but you have to learn not to be so trusting.

69. If we do not have peace within us, it is useless to seek it outside.

The true and strongest happiness is the one that arises from within.

70. There are three kinds of ignorance: not knowing what should be known, knowing badly what is known, and knowing what should not be known.

Ignorance is a weight that some decide to carry forever.