What seems to be generosity is often no more than disguised ambition, which overlooks a small interest in order to secure a… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Men often pass from love to ambition, but they seldom come back again from ambition to love. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Our aversion to lying is commonly a secret ambition to make what we say considerable, and have every word received with a… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
What we take for high-mindedness is very often no other than ambition well disguised, that scorns means interests, only to pursuegreater. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The ambitious deceive themselves in proposing an end to their ambition; that end, when attained, becomes a means. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Love often leads on to ambition, but seldom does one return from ambition to love. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Those whom the world has delighted to honor have oftener been influenced in their doings by ambition and vanity than by patriotism. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The largest ambition has the least appearance of ambition when it meets with an absolute impossibility in compassing its object. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
What we take for virtue is often but an assemblage of various ambitions and activities that chance, or our own astuteness, have… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
When great men permit themselves to be cast down by the continuance of misfortune, they show us that they were only sustained… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
It is a mistake to imagine, that the violent passions only, such as ambition and love, can triumph over the rest. Idleness,… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Moderation cannot have the credit of combatiug and subduing ambition, they are never found together. Moderation is the languor and indolence of… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
On why I don't trust democracy without extremely powerful systems of accountability and recall What seems to be generosity is often only… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Humility is often only the putting on of a submissiveness by which men hope to bring other people to submit to them;… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
It is a mighty error to suppose that none but violent and strong passions, such as love and ambition, are able to… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The aversion to lying is often a hidden ambition to render our words credible and weighty, and to attach a religious aspect… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Moderation is the feebleness and sloth of the soul, whereas ambition is the warmth and activity of it. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Moderation is represented as a virtue in order to restrain the ambition of great men, and to console those of a meaner… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Our own distrust gives a fair pretence for the knavery of other people. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
Behind many acts that are thought ridiculous there lie wise and weighty motives. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
“Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever.” — François de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
Perseverance is neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy; for it seems to be only the enduring of certain inclinations and opinions which men neither give themselves… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
A woman is faithful to her first lover for a long time - unless she happens to take a second. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
We are almost always wearied in the company of persons with whom we are not permitted to be weary. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
The love of new acquaintance comes not so much from being weary of what we had before, or from any satisfaction there is in… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
The intention of never deceiving often exposes us to deception. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
Jealousy springs more from love of self than from love of another. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
Jealousy is always born with love, but does not die with it. In jealousy there is more of self-love than of love to another. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
The greatest of all gifts is the power to estimate things at their true worth — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
We have not strength enough to follow our reason so far as it would carry us. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share
