1,221 Quotes by François de La Rochefoucauld

He is a truly virtuous man who wishes always to be open to the observation of honest men.

If one judges love according to the greatest part of the effects it produces, it would appear to resemble rather hatred than kindness.

The most sure method of subjecting yourself to be deceived is to consider yourself more cunning than others.

We promise in proportion to our hopes, and we deliver in proportion to our fears.

A man's worth has its season, like fruit.

The most violent passions sometimes leave us at rest, but vanity agitates us constantly.

The great interests of man: air and light, the joy of having a body, the voluptuousness of looking.

Cunning and treachery are the offspring of incapacity.

Whatever pretended causes we may blame our afflictions upon, it is often nothing but self-interest and vanity that produce them.