Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillacla ʁɔʃfuˈko]; 15 September 1613 – 17 March 1680) was a noted French author of maxims and memoirs. It is said that his world-view was clear-eyed and urbane, and that he neither condemned human conduct nor sentimentally celebrated it. Born in Paris on the Rue des Petits Champs, at a time when the royal court was vacillating between aiding the nobility and threatening it, he was considered an exemplar of the accomplished 17th-century...
NationalityFrench
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth15 September 1613
CountryFrance
Francois de La Rochefoucauld quotes about
It's the height of folly to want to be the only wise one.
How can we expect another to keep our secret if we have been unable to keep it ourselves?
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.
A wise man thinks it more advantageous not to join the battle than to win.
The accent of one's birthplace remains in the mind and in the heart as in one's speech.
When our vices leave us, we like to imagine it is we who are leaving them.
When we disclaim praise, it is only showing our desire to be praised a second time.
Nothing is so contagious as example; and we never do any great good or evil which does not produce its like.
One is never fortunate or as unfortunate as one imagines.
There are very few things impossible in themselves; and we do not want means to conquer difficulties so much as application and resolution in the use of means.
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.
When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
Jealousy springs more from love of self than from love of another.
Humility is often a false front we employ to gain power over others.