--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays…" description: "\"Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue\" — François De La Rochefoucauld" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays_550472.png" --- # Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue ![“Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue” quote by François De La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays_550472.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays_550472.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays_550472.png) > “Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue” [François 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. Vice imitates virtue to disguise its own immorality, showing respect through mockery. **In simple terms:** Vice pretends to honor virtue. Key Takeaway Recognize false praise. Themes hypocrisy morality virtue Mood skeptical critical Type aphilosophical observational When to use this quote - political discourse - personal relationships - media analysis Key Concepts Rousseauian critique moral paradox Questions to Reflect On - How do you spot insincere flattery? - When does imitation become deception? A Different Perspective Virtue may be exploited for self‑interest. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hypocrisy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrisy/) [Vice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vice/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/hypocrisy-is-the-homage-vice-pays-to-virtue/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Hypocrisy is an homage that vice renders to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/hypocrisy-is-an-homage-that-vice-renders-to-virtue/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Hypocrisy is a sort of homage that vice pays to virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various/hypocrisy-is-a-sort-of-homage-that-vice-pays-to-virtue/) Various > [Hypocrisy is the homage that vice and wrong pay to virtue and justice .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/hypocrisy-is-the-homage-that-vice-and-wrong-pay-to-virtue-and-justice/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [Hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/hypocrisy-is-the-tribute-that-vice-pays-to-virtue/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [“Hypocrisy a homage is true, That vice pays to virtue, Be man - himself so true, That no false does he brew.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munindra-misra/hypocrisy-a-homage-is-true-that-vice-pays-to-virtue-be-man-himself-so/) [Munindra Misra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munindra-misra/) > [“Hypocrisy is a tribute that vice pays to virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-duc-de-la-rochefoucauld/hypocrisy-is-a-tribute-that-vice-pays-to-virtue/) [Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-duc-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Hypocrisy is said to be the homage that vice pays to virtue,—decorum is the outward expression of that homage; and if this be so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-robert-maturin/hypocrisy-is-said-to-be-the-homage-that-vice-pays-to-virtue-decorum/) [Charles Robert Maturin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-robert-maturin/) > [“If she knew me as I really am she would despise me, and certainly not aid or abet my evil designs. To veil their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-beckford/if-she-knew-me-as-i-really-am-she-would-despise-me-and-certainly-not/) [William Beckford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-beckford/) > [“Feeling important is a vice, not a virtue, however concealed as participation in something noble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/feeling-important-is-a-vice-not-a-virtue-however-concealed-as/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [More people are flattered into virtue than bullied out of vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith-surtees/more-people-are-flattered-into-virtue-than-bullied-out-of-vice/) [Robert Smith Surtees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith-surtees/) > [When you hear men talking," said Cornelia, "all they ever do is speak ill of women. ... And I don't quite know how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moderata-fonte/when-you-hear-men-talking-said-cornelia-all-they-ever-do-is-speak-ill/) [Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moderata-fonte/) > [Our virtues are most often but our vices disguised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-virtues-are-most-often-but-our-vices-disguised/) [François De La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/every-virtue-is-a-mean-between-two-extremes-each-of-which-is-a-vice/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by François 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 François De La Rochefoucauld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) ## More Hypocrisy quotes > [Everybody should read 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut. This book is about the hypocrisy of war, told in satire, and is hard-hitting and truthful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalki-koechlin/everybody-should-read-slaughterhouse-five-by-kurt-vonnegut-this-book/) [Kalki Koechlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalki-koechlin/) > [Honesty in politics is the result of strength; hypocrisy is the result of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/honesty-in-politics-is-the-result-of-strength-hypocrisy-is-the-result/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [ “In all, the future secretary of defense and wartime vice president\[, Dick Cheney,\] would receive five deferments during the Vietnam War, protecting him from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-savage/in-all-the-future-secretary-of-defense-and-wartime-vice-president/) Charlie Savage > [“If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-men-could-see-us-as-we-really-are-they-would-be-a-little-amazed/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Bigoted people are just scholars who lack any sort of legitimate credentials to answer why they're bigoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doctavius/bigoted-people-are-just-scholars-who-lack-any-sort-of-legitimate/) Doctavius > [The hypocrisy and false piety of the deniers aside, the relationships of gays have no effect on heteros. Especially all the heteros who've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/the-hypocrisy-and-false-piety-of-the-deniers-aside-the-relationships/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [Hypocrisy is a detriment to progress. There's always a hidden agenda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-flynt/hypocrisy-is-a-detriment-to-progress-there-s-always-a-hidden-agenda/) [Larry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-flynt/) > [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Mayor De Blasio's appointment of Bill Bratton as police commissioner is the height of hypocrisy. Asking Bratton to stop racial profiling and stop and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barron/mayor-de-blasio-s-appointment-of-bill-bratton-as-police-commissioner/) Charles Barron > [It's about time Hypocrisy should be adopted as a religion, considering it's got more followers than any other religion on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashutosh-cheulkar/it-s-about-time-hypocrisy-should-be-adopted-as-a-religion-considering/) [Ashutosh Cheulkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashutosh-cheulkar/) > [I hate a woman who offers herself because she ought to do so, and cold and dry thinks of her sewing when making love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/i-hate-a-woman-who-offers-herself-because-she-ought-to-do-so-and-cold/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [One can imagine the look the two lovers exchanged; it was like a flame, for virtuous lovers have not a shred of hypocrisy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/one-can-imagine-the-look-the-two-lovers-exchanged-it-was-like-a-flame/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [A wicked mortal is not the idea of God. He is little else than the expression of error. To suppose that sin, lust, hatred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-baker-eddy/a-wicked-mortal-is-not-the-idea-of-god-he-is-little-else-than-the/) [Mary Baker Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-baker-eddy/) > [“even the worst men wanted to be perceived as better than they were. How else could hypocrisy have risen to such delirious levels?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/even-the-worst-men-wanted-to-be-perceived-as-better-than-they-were/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [What I object to in Mother is that she wants me to think her thoughts. Apart from the question of hypocrisy, I prefer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/what-i-object-to-in-mother-is-that-she-wants-me-to-think-her-thoughts/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) [Browse all 1,238 Hypocrisy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrisy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "François De La Rochefoucauld" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays-to-virtue/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hypocrisy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays-to-virtue/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays_550472.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays_550472.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays_550472.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue” — François 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": "François De La Rochefoucauld", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Hypocrisy is the homage which vice...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays-to-virtue/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/hypocrisy-is-the-homage-which-vice-pays-to-virtue/#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 } } ] } ```