---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The qualities we have, make us so…"
description: "\"The qualities we have, make us so ridiculous as those which we affect.\" — Francois de La Rochefoucauld"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_the-qualities-we-have-make-us-so-ridicul_2196869.png"
---

#  The qualities we have, make us so ridiculous as those…

![“The qualities we have, make us so ridiculous as those which we affect.” quote by Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_the-qualities-we-have-make-us-so-ridicul_2196869.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_the-qualities-we-have-make-us-so-ridicul_2196869.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-1_hypocrisy_the-qualities-we-have-make-us-so-ridicul_2196869.png)

> “The qualities we have, make us so ridiculous as those which we affect.”

[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.

Human behavior often reveals contradictions between our self‑image and how we affect others.

**In simple terms:** We act in ways that contradict our self‑perception.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and align actions with values.

Themes

self‑awareness humility social perception

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical insightful

When to use this quote

- leadership
- personal relationships
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology contradiction identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do your actions reflect your true self?
- What gaps exist between self‑image and impact?

A Different Perspective

People may resist acknowledging their own contradictions.

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> [Sometimes you may meet people in your life that possess qualities that could make them oh so Mr. Right… but you might look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-nathaniel-butler/sometimes-you-may-meet-people-in-your-life-that-possess-qualities/)

[Eugene Nathaniel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-nathaniel-butler/)

> [“You have many qualities that make you as great a man as any other here at the Althing. In the first place, you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-many-qualities-that-make-you-as-great-a-man-as-any-other/)

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

> [“The very qualities that make one a writer in the first place contribute to the block: hypersensitivity, stubbornness, insatiability, and so on. Given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-very-qualities-that-make-one-a-writer-in-the-first-place/)

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> [“There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/there-are-so-many-qualities-that-make-up-a-human-being-by-the-time-i/)

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> [I think we need the feminine qualities of leadership, which include attention to aesthetics and the environment, nurturing, affection, intuition and the qualities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/i-think-we-need-the-feminine-qualities-of-leadership-which-include/)

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> [There are some bad qualities which make great talents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/there-are-some-bad-qualities-which-make-great-talents/)

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[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

> [So many times we're portrayed in ways that we don't want to be portrayed, in ways that make us seem so ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-machado/so-many-times-we-re-portrayed-in-ways-that-we-don-t-want-to-be/)

[Justina Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-machado/)

## 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/)

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> [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/)

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[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/)

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> [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/)

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> [ “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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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> [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/)

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