--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perfect valour is to do without witnesses…" description: "\"“Perfect valour is to do without witnesses what one would do before all the world.”\" — François de La Rochefoucauld" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_authenticity_perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesse_350326.png" --- # Perfect valour is to do without witnesses what one would… ![“Perfect valour is to do without witnesses what one would do before all the world.” quote by François de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_authenticity_perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesse_350326.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_authenticity_perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesse_350326.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_authenticity_perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesse_350326.png) > ““Perfect valour is to do without witnesses what one would do before all the world.”” [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. True bravery is acting without an audience, doing what one would do even if everyone watched. **In simple terms:** Bravery is private, not for applause. Key Takeaway Act with integrity regardless of observers. Themes courage integrity privacy Mood inspirational serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - personal ethics - public service Key Concepts virtue authenticity social pressure Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain courage when unseen? - What role does audience play in moral actions? A Different Perspective Privacy may limit accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Coherence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coherence/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Maxim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maxim/) [Valour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valour/) [Witnesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witnesses/) ## Related quotes > [“True Valour would do all that, when alone, that it could do, if all the World were by.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/true-valour-would-do-all-that-when-alone-that-it-could-do-if-all-the/) [François de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Perfect valour consists in doing without witnesses that which we would be capable of doing before everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/perfect-valour-consists-in-doing-without-witnesses-that-which-we/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Plants are more courageous than almost all human beings: an orange tree would rather die than produce lemons, whereas instead of dying the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/plants-are-more-courageous-than-almost-all-human-beings-an-orange/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I think it's very important for writers and artists generally to be witnesses to the world, and to be transparent. To let other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-think-it-s-very-important-for-writers-and-artists-generally-to-be/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Even the wettest violence, in the end, is cooked down to the stuff of court cases; a ream of paper, a few exhibits, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/even-the-wettest-violence-in-the-end-is-cooked-down-to-the-stuff-of/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [These idle disputants overlooked the invariable laws of nature, which have connected peace with innocence, plenty with industry, and safety with valour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/these-idle-disputants-overlooked-the-invariable-laws-of-nature-which/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [“Let me say this about courage under fire. In my experience, valour in action counts for far less than simply performing one’s commonplace task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/let-me-say-this-about-courage-under-fire-in-my-experience-valour-in/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [The desire which urges us to deserve praise strengthens our good qualities, and praise given to wit, valour, and beauty, tends to increase them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-desire-which-urges-us-to-deserve-praise-strengthens-our-good/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [How can a man commit acts of martial valour if he values his life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torii-mototada/how-can-a-man-commit-acts-of-martial-valour-if-he-values-his-life/) [Torii Mototada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torii-mototada/) > [Where it is permissible both to die and not to die, it is an abuse of valour to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/where-it-is-permissible-both-to-die-and-not-to-die-it-is-an-abuse-of/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [Nothing short of the Almighty Power of God can Save us - it is not in our Numbers, our Union, or our Valour that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-clark/nothing-short-of-the-almighty-power-of-god-can-save-us-it-is-not-in/) [Abraham Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-clark/) > [“Valour begot respect, whether in life or in the aftermath of death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/valour-begot-respect-whether-in-life-or-in-the-aftermath-of-death/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [I do not admire a virtue like valour when it is pushed to excess, if I do not see at the same time the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-do-not-admire-a-virtue-like-valour-when-it-is-pushed-to-excess-if-i/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/indeed-the-crowning-proof-of-their-valour-and-their-strength-is-that/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“Can you not see that we still might win? We lost a battle, not a war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-essex/can-you-not-see-that-we-still-might-win-we-lost-a-battle-not-a-war/) [Karen Essex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-essex/) ## 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 Authenticity quotes > [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Real artists offer authenticity, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/real-artists-offer-authenticity-not-just-money/) [Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/) > [“I figure the more people think I'm just mildly weird, the less likely they are to know how weird I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-hooyenga/i-figure-the-more-people-think-i-m-just-mildly-weird-the-less-likely/) Melanie Hooyenga > [I think people can read authenticity and they know when you're involved and when you're just slapping your name on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/i-think-people-can-read-authenticity-and-they-know-when-you-re/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [“I strive for authenticity even though it brings with it vulnerability and the inevitable judgment of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/i-strive-for-authenticity-even-though-it-brings-with-it-vulnerability/) [L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/) [Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/) > [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Perfect valour is to do without witnesses what one would do before all the world.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "François de La Rochefoucauld" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesses-what-one-would-do-before/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authenticity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesses-what-one-would-do-before/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_authenticity_perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesse_350326.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_authenticity_perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesse_350326.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_authenticity_perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesse_350326.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perfect valour is to do without witnesses what one would do before all the world.” — 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": "“Perfect valour is to do without...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesses-what-one-would-do-before/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/perfect-valour-is-to-do-without-witnesses-what-one-would-do-before/#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 } } ] } ```