1,221 Quotes by François de La Rochefoucauld

We can never be certain of our courage until we have faced danger...

Jealousy is nothing more than a fear of abandonment.

Nature seems at each man’s birth to have marked out the bounds of his virtues and vices, and to have determined how good or how wicked that man shall be capable of being.

Love of glory, fear of shame, greed for fortune, the desire to make life agreeable and comfortable, and the wish to depreciate others – all of these are often the causes of the bravery that is spoken so highly of by men.

It’s the height of folly to want to be the only wise one.

A man’s happiness or unhappiness depends as much on his temperament as on his destiny.

The constancy of the wise is only the art of keeping disquietude to one’s self.

There is great skill in knowing how to conceal one’s skill.

To know how to hide one’s ability is great skill.