Many people despise wealth, but few know how to give it away. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
What is called liberality is often merely the vanity of giving. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Men frequently do good only to give themselves opportunity of doing ill with impunity. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The applause we give those who are new to society often proceeds from a secret envying of those already established. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Novelty is to love like bloom to fruit; it gives a luster which is easily effaced, but never returns. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The smallest fault of women who give themselves up to love is to love. — 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 Image
Old people are fond of giving good advice; it consoles them for no longer being capable of setting a bad example. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Sometimes there is equal or more ability in knowing how to use good advice than there is in giving it. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Those who give too much attention to trifling things become generally incapable of great ones. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Confidence always pleases those who receive it. It is a tribute we pay to their merit, a deposit we commit to their… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Kings do with men as with pieces of money; they give them what value they please, and we are obliged to receive… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
What we call generosity is for the most part only the vanity of giving; and we exercise it because we are more… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
We often persuade ourselves to love people who are more powerful than we are, yet interest alone produces our friendship; we do… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Unfaithfulness ought to extinguish love, and we should not be jealous when there is reason to be. Only those who give no… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
A readiness to believe ill of others, before we have duly examined it, is the effect of laziness and pride. We are… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The person giving the advice returns the confidence placed in him with a disinterested eagerness... and he is usually guided only by… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Pride has a greater share than goodness in the reproofs we give other people for their faults; and we chide them not… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
There is a form of eminence which does not depend on fate; it is an air which sets us apart and seems… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The breeding we give young people is ordinarily but an additional self-love, by which we make them have a better opinion of… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
It is sometimes a point of as much cleverness to know to make good use of advice from others as to be… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The praise we give to new comers into the world arises from the envy we bear to those who are established. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The confidence which we have in ourselves give birth to much of that, which we have in others. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The extreme pleasure we take in speaking of ourselves should make us apprehensive that it gives hardly any to those who listen… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The moderation of fortunate people comes from the calm which good fortune gives to their tempers. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
What is called generosity is usually only the vanity of giving; we enjoy the vanity more than the thing given. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Whatever pretext we may give for our affections, often it is only interest and vanity which cause them. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
There are few occasions when we should make a bad bargain by giving up the good on condition that no ill was… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Our desires always disappoint us; for though we meet with something that gives us satisfaction, yet it never thoroughly answers our expectation.… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Perseverance is neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy; for it seems to be only the enduring of certain inclinations and opinions which men neither… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
When fortune surprises us by giving us some great office without having gradually led us to expect it, or without having raised… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The exceeding delight we take in talking about ourselves should give us cause to fear that we are giving but very little… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
It is given to few persons to keep this secret well. Those who lay down rules too often break them, and the… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Praise is a more ingenious, concealed, and subtle kind of flattery, that satisfies both the giver and the receiver, though by verydifferent… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
It appears that nature has hid at the bottom of our hearts talents and abilities unknown to us. It is only the… — 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