We do not like to praise, and seldom praise anyone without self-interest. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Boredom ... causes us to neglect more duties than does interest. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The great interests of man: air and light, the joy of having a body, the voluptuousness of looking. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Men more easily renounce their interests than their tastes. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
A clever man should handle his interests so that each will fall in suitable order of their value. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The virtues and vices are all put in motion by interest. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Loyalty is in most people only a ruse used by self-interest to attract confidence. — 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
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
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
Luxury and excessive refinement are sure forerunners of the decadence of states, because when all individuals seek their own interests they neglect… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Whatever pretended causes we may blame our afflictions upon, it is often nothing but self-interest and vanity that produce them. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Friendship is only a reciprocal conciliation of interests, and an exchange of good offices; it is a species of commerce out of… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The most ingenious men continually pretend to condemn tricking--but this is often done that they may use it more conveniently themselves, when… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Self-interest speaks all manner of tongues and plays all manner of parts, even that of disinterestedness. — 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
What makes us so often discontented with those who transact business for us is that they almost always abandon the interest of… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
A wise man should order his interests, and set them all in their proper places. This order is often troubled by greed,… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Avarice often produces opposite results: there are an infinite number of persons who sacrifice their property to doubtful and distant expectations; others… — 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
There are various sorts of curiosity; one is from interest, which makes us desire to know that which may be useful to… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
Virtues lose themselves in self-interest, as rivers in the sea. — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
The passions possess a certain injustice and self interest which makes it dangerous to follow them, and in reality we should distrust… — 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
What we take for virtue is often nothing but an assemblage of different actions, and of different interests, that fortune or our… — Francois de La Rochefoucauld Copy Share Image
What men call friendship is no more than a partnership, a mutual care of interests, an exchange of favors - in a… — 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
