Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Constancy in love ... is only inconstancy confined to one object.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Jealously is always born with love but it does not die with it.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Preserving the serious health condition is usually painful.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

We are more often treacherous through weakness than through calculation.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is almost always a fault of one who loves not to realize when he ceases to be loved.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Our virtues are most often but our vices disguised

— François De La Rochefoucauld

The generality of men have, like plants, latent properties, which chance brings to light.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

We would rather speak ill of ourselves than not talk about ourselves at all.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is oftener by the estimation of our own feelings that we exaggerate the good qualities of others than by their merit,…

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

The moderation of men in the most exalted fortunes is a desire to be thought above those things that have raised them…

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Nothing hinders a thing from being natural so much as the straining ourselves to make it seem so.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

We are much harder on people who betray us in small ways than on people who betray others in great ones.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is easier to appear worthy of a position one does not hold, than of the office which one fills.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Happiness is in the taste, and not in the things themselves; we are happy from possessing what we like, not from possessing…

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is often laziness and timidity that keep us within our duty while virtue gets all the credit.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

There are fine things that are more brilliant when they are unfinished than when finished too much.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Flattery is a base coin which is current only through our vanity.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Many young persons believe themselves natural when they are only impolite and coarse.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Idleness is more an infirmity of the mind than of the body.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Passion often makes a fool of the cleverest man and often makes the most foolish men clever

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we resort to to hide them.”

— François de La Rochefoucauld

We give advice, but we cannot give the wisdom to profit by it.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is not always for virtue's sake that women are virtuous.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Envy is destroyed by true friendship, as coquetry by true love.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

To establish oneself in the world, one does all one can to seem established there already.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

People always complain about their memories, never about their minds.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“451.—No fools so wearisome as those who have some wit. 452.—No”

— François de La Rochefoucauld

He is safe who admits no one to his confidence.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Hope and fear are inseparable. There is no hope without fear, nor any fear without hope.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is with true love as it is with ghosts; everyone talks about it, but few have seen it.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Our minds are as much given to laziness as our bodies.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

The mark of extraordinary merit is to see those most envious of it constrained to praise.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Perfect Valor is to do, without a witness, all that we could do before the whole world.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Pride does not wish to owe and vanity does not wish to pay.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Often we are firm from weakness, and audacious from timidity.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Many people despise wealth, but few know how to give it away.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Weakness is more opposed to virtue than is vice.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Happiness is in the taste, and not in the things.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Opportunity makes us known to others, but more to ourselves.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is not enough that we should succeed, but our friends must fail as well.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld