---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Moderation is a fear of falling into that…"
description: "\"Moderation is a fear of falling into that envy and contempt which those who grow giddy with their good fortune quite justly draw upon themselves. It is..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_boast_moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-tha_880766.png"
---

#  Moderation is a fear of falling into that envy and…

![“Moderation is a fear of falling into that envy and contempt which those who grow giddy with their good fortune quite justly draw upon themselves. It is a vain boasting of the greatness of our mind.” quote by Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_boast_moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-tha_880766.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_boast_moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-tha_880766.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_boast_moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-tha_880766.png)

> “Moderation is a fear of falling into that envy and contempt which those who grow giddy with their good fortune quite justly draw upon themselves. It is a vain boasting of the greatness of our mind.”

[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.

Moderation warns against letting envy and contempt inflate self‑importance, exposing the vanity in boasting about mental greatness.

**In simple terms:** Moderation cautions against pride fueled by envy and contempt.

Key Takeaway

Guard against pride and envy.

Themes

virtue pride moderation self‑awareness

Mood

contemplative critical

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- personal development
- leadership
- ethical decision making
- social interactions

Key Concepts

vanity human nature psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What triggers your sense of superiority?
- How can you practice humility daily?

A Different Perspective

Self‑awareness can be difficult to maintain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Boast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) [Contempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Good fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-fortune/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moderation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moderation/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/)

## Related quotes

> [“The first time he had taken the massa to one of these "high-falutin' to-dos," as Bell called them, Kunta had been all but overwhelmed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/the-first-time-he-had-taken-the-massa-to-one-of-these-high-falutin-to/)

[Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/)

> [This only grant me, that my means may lie, too low for envy, for contempt to high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cowley/this-only-grant-me-that-my-means-may-lie-too-low-for-envy-for/)

[Abraham Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cowley/)

> [It passes in the world for greatness of mind, to be perpetually giving and loading people with bounties; but it is one thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/it-passes-in-the-world-for-greatness-of-mind-to-be-perpetually-giving/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn, as in doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-as-much-greatness-of-mind-in-acknowledging-a-good-turn-as-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Greatness of mind becomes an object of love only when the power at work in it itself has a noble character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/greatness-of-mind-becomes-an-object-of-love-only-when-the-power-at/)

[Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/)

> [There is as much greatness of mind in the owning of a good turn as in the doing of it; and we must no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-as-much-greatness-of-mind-in-the-owning-of-a-good-turn-as-in/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [ “\[Rousseau is\] the person whom I most revere both for the Force of \[his\] Genius and the Greatness of \[his\] mind \[...\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/rousseau-is-the-person-whom-i-most-revere-both-for-the-force-of-his/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“People ask me, 'Who is your hero?' My answer, my true answer, is that I am my hero, the me I aspire to be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kluwe/people-ask-me-who-is-your-hero-my-answer-my-true-answer-is-that-i-am/)

[Chris Kluwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kluwe/)

> [In the morning; The greatness of The mind and The goodness of The heart is ... Inseparable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/in-the-morning-the-greatness-of-the-mind-and-the-goodness-of-the/)

Pacifiersucker

> [“Yes, there is a giant within each of us, capable of greatness. The mind keeps him deeply asleep in his dreary world of illusions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidija-stankovikj/yes-there-is-a-giant-within-each-of-us-capable-of-greatness-the-mind/)

[Lidija Stankovikj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidija-stankovikj/)

> [“There is a melancholy that stems from greatness of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-melancholy-that-stems-from-greatness-of-mind/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being a mathematician is a bit like being a manic depressive: you spend your life alternating between giddy elation and black despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-g-krantz/being-a-mathematician-is-a-bit-like-being-a-manic-depressive-you/)

Steven G. Krantz

> [Now that I think about it, maybe he is a werewolf. I can picture him lunging over the moors in hot pursuit of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/now-that-i-think-about-it-maybe-he-is-a-werewolf-i-can-picture-him/)

[Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/)

> [I need no bodyguard at all, for even the bravest men who approach me get weak at the knees and their hearts turn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaka/i-need-no-bodyguard-at-all-for-even-the-bravest-men-who-approach-me/)

[Shaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaka/)

> [I suppose people also have to be a little more careful or circumspect if they're going to leverage their celebrity to promote their political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-rundgren/i-suppose-people-also-have-to-be-a-little-more-careful-or-circumspect/)

[Todd Rundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-rundgren/)

## 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 Boast quotes

> [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/)

[Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/)

> [Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/further-conceive-i-beg-that-a-stone-while-continuing-in-motion-should/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [“in other words, his story was part boast, part confession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mezrich/in-other-words-his-story-was-part-boast-part-confession/)

[Ben Mezrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mezrich/)

> [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/boast-is-always-a-cry-of-despair-except-in-the-young-it-is-a-cry-of/)

[Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/)

> [“A classic is read not to enjoy but only to be boast about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-classic-is-read-not-to-enjoy-but-only-to-be-boast-about-it/)

[Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/)

> [Buonaparte has often made his boast that our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea and that his was kept in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/buonaparte-has-often-made-his-boast-that-our-fleet-would-be-worn-out/)

[Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/)

> [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/)

[Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/)

> [But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy, Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great: Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-thou-art-fair-and-at-thy-birth-dear-boy-nature-and-fortune-join-d/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Science appears but what in truth she is, Not as our glory and our absolute boast, But as a succedaneum, and a prop To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/science-appears-but-what-in-truth-she-is-not-as-our-glory-and-our/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [It has, therefore, been a favorite boast of the people of Wales and Cornwall, that the original British stock flourishes in its unmixed purity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bulfinch/it-has-therefore-been-a-favorite-boast-of-the-people-of-wales-and/)

[Thomas Bulfinch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bulfinch/)

> [Boasting is only a masked shame; it does not truly believe in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/boasting-is-only-a-masked-shame-it-does-not-truly-believe-in-itself/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

[Browse all 567 Boast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Moderation is a fear of falling into that envy and contempt which those who grow giddy with their good fortune quite justly draw upon themselves. It is a vain boasting of the greatness of our mind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Francois de La Rochefoucauld"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-that-envy-and-contempt-which/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Boast"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-that-envy-and-contempt-which/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_boast_moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-tha_880766.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_boast_moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-tha_880766.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_boast_moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-tha_880766.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Moderation is a fear of falling into that envy and contempt which those who grow giddy with their good…” — 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": "Moderation is a fear of falling...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-that-envy-and-contempt-which/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/moderation-is-a-fear-of-falling-into-that-envy-and-contempt-which/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```