--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A weak mind is the only defect out of our…" description: "\"A weak mind is the only defect out of our power to mend.\" — Francois de La Rochefoucauld" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_defects_a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-ou_499730.png" --- # A weak mind is the only defect out of our power to mend. ![“A weak mind is the only defect out of our power to mend.” quote by Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_defects_a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-ou_499730.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_defects_a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-ou_499730.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_defects_a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-ou_499730.png) > “A weak mind is the only defect out of our power to mend.” [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our thoughts shape our character; only mental flaws are within our control to improve. **In simple terms:** Mind determines character; we can fix mental flaws. Key Takeaway Cultivate mental discipline. Themes self‑improvement character control Mood reflective determined Type aphilosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - education - leadership - habit formation Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What mental habit limits you? - How can you strengthen your mind? A Different Perspective Changing habits is hard despite intention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defects/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) ## Related quotes > [I was blessed with a strong arm and a weak mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzy-dean/i-was-blessed-with-a-strong-arm-and-a-weak-mind/) [Dizzy Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzy-dean/) > [Profanity is the result of a weak mind trying to express itself forcably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-dale-adams/profanity-is-the-result-of-a-weak-mind-trying-to-express-itself/) [Randall Dale Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-dale-adams/) > [Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtasked. Good mental machinery ought to break its own wheels and levers, if anything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/insanity-is-often-the-logic-of-an-accurate-mind-overtasked-good/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr/) > [Astrology and all these mystical things are generally signs of a weak mind; therefore as soon as they are becoming prominent in our minds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/astrology-and-all-these-mystical-things-are-generally-signs-of-a-weak-2/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [What the unpenetrating world call Humanity, is often no more than a weak mind pitying itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/what-the-unpenetrating-world-call-humanity-is-often-no-more-than-a/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [A weak mind sinks under prosperity, as well as under adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-charles-hare/a-weak-mind-sinks-under-prosperity-as-well-as-under-adversity/) [Julius Charles Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-charles-hare/) > [The lack of facts holds you back. The odds are stacked against a weak mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kool-moe-dee/the-lack-of-facts-holds-you-back-the-odds-are-stacked-against-a-weak/) [Kool Moe Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kool-moe-dee/) > [Anyone who thinks that God wins or loses games has to have an awfully weak mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ballard/anyone-who-thinks-that-god-wins-or-loses-games-has-to-have-an-awfully/) [Harold Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ballard/) > [Hurry is the mark of a weak mind, dispatch of a strong one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/hurry-is-the-mark-of-a-weak-mind-dispatch-of-a-strong-one/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Astrology and all these mystical things are generally signs of a weak mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/astrology-and-all-these-mystical-things-are-generally-signs-of-a-weak/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [In matters of great concern, and which must be done, there is no surer argument of a weak mind than irresolution; to be undetermined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tillotson/in-matters-of-great-concern-and-which-must-be-done-there-is-no-surer/) [John Tillotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tillotson/) > [It is the sign of a weak mind to be unable to bear wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-sign-of-a-weak-mind-to-be-unable-to-bear-wealth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It shows a weak mind not to bear prosperity as well as adversity with moderation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/it-shows-a-weak-mind-not-to-bear-prosperity-as-well-as-adversity-with/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [A weak mind sinks under prosperity, as well as under adversity. A strong and deep mind has two highest tides - when the moon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/a-weak-mind-sinks-under-prosperity-as-well-as-under-adversity-a/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [He alone has the right to break, for He alone has the power to mend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/he-alone-has-the-right-to-break-for-he-alone-has-the-power-to-mend/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) ## More by Francois de La Rochefoucauld > [Our own distrust gives a fair pretence for the knavery of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-own-distrust-gives-a-fair-pretence-for-the-knavery-of-other-people/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Behind many acts that are thought ridiculous there lie wise and weighty motives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/behind-many-acts-that-are-thought-ridiculous-there-lie-wise-and/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/passion-often-makes-a-madman-of-the-cleverest-man-and-renders-the/) [François de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Perseverance is neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy; for it seems to be only the enduring of certain inclinations and opinions which men neither give themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/perseverance-is-neither-praiseworthy-nor-blameworthy-for-it-seems-to/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [A woman is faithful to her first lover for a long time - unless she happens to take a second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/a-woman-is-faithful-to-her-first-lover-for-a-long-time-unless-she/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [We are almost always wearied in the company of persons with whom we are not permitted to be weary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-are-almost-always-wearied-in-the-company-of-persons-with-whom-we/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The love of new acquaintance comes not so much from being weary of what we had before, or from any satisfaction there is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-love-of-new-acquaintance-comes-not-so-much-from-being-weary-of/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-sometimes-necessary-to-play-the-fool-to-avoid-being-deceived-by/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The intention of never deceiving often exposes us to deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-intention-of-never-deceiving-often-exposes-us-to-deception/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Jealousy springs more from love of self than from love of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/jealousy-springs-more-from-love-of-self-than-from-love-of-another/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Our distrust of another justifies his deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-distrust-of-another-justifies-his-deceit/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/no-persons-are-more-frequently-wrong-than-those-who-will-not-admit/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/jealousy-is-always-born-with-love-but-does-not-die-with-it-in/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The greatest of all gifts is the power to estimate things at their true worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-greatest-of-all-gifts-is-the-power-to-estimate-things-at-their/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [We have not strength enough to follow our reason so far as it would carry us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-have-not-strength-enough-to-follow-our-reason-so-far-as-it-would/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) [Explore all 1,134 Francois de La Rochefoucauld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) ## More Defects quotes > [It is the common defect of modern art study. Too many students do not know why they draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/it-is-the-common-defect-of-modern-art-study-too-many-students-do-not/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/selfishness-is-one-of-the-principal-fruits-of-the-corruption-of-human/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [With all of its defects, the global market makes war less likely, even between the USA and China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/with-all-of-its-defects-the-global-market-makes-war-less-likely-even/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are few defects in our nature so glaring as not to be veiled from observation by politeness and good-breeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/there-are-few-defects-in-our-nature-so-glaring-as-not-to-be-veiled/) [Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/) > [I don't want you to praise me...Some praise me because I am a colored girl, and I don't want that kind of praise. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmonia-lewis/i-don-t-want-you-to-praise-me-some-praise-me-because-i-am-a-colored/) [Edmonia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmonia-lewis/) > [The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Political correctness is a major defect of the western ethos. Some Western countries have even passed blasphemy laws that would put you in legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/political-correctness-is-a-major-defect-of-the-western-ethos-some/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [Absence of defects does not necessarily build business... Something more is required.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/absence-of-defects-does-not-necessarily-build-business-something-more/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [Every reader should remember the diffidence of Socrates, and repair by his candour the injuries of time: he should impute the seeming defects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/every-reader-should-remember-the-diffidence-of-socrates-and-repair-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The essence of man is his freedom. Sin is committed in that freedom. Sin can therefore not be attributed to a defect in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/the-essence-of-man-is-his-freedom-sin-is-committed-in-that-freedom/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [The second commandment that Jesus referred to was not to love others instead of ourselves, but to love them as ourselves. Before we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-warner/the-second-commandment-that-jesus-referred-to-was-not-to-love-others/) Jim Warner > [The weakest man is the one who is able to correct his moral defects, but doesn't take action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/the-weakest-man-is-the-one-who-is-able-to-correct-his-moral-defects/) [Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/) > [Whoever recounts to you the faults of your neighbour will doubtless expose your defects to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-recounts-to-you-the-faults-of-your-neighbour-will-doubtless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Like all of us sinners, General Betrishchev was endowed with many virtues and many defects. Both the one and the other were scattered through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/like-all-of-us-sinners-general-betrishchev-was-endowed-with-many/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) [Browse all 559 Defects quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defects/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A weak mind is the only defect out of our power to mend.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francois de La Rochefoucauld" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-our-power-to-mend/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defects" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-our-power-to-mend/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_defects_a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-ou_499730.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_defects_a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-ou_499730.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_defects_a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-ou_499730.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A weak mind is the only defect out of our power to mend.” — Francois de La Rochefoucauld", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Francois de La Rochefoucauld", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A weak mind is the only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-our-power-to-mend/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/a-weak-mind-is-the-only-defect-out-of-our-power-to-mend/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```