1,221 Quotes by François de La Rochefoucauld

Idiots and lunatics see only their own wit.

Everyone takes pleasure in returning small obligations, many people acknowledge moderate ones; but there are only a scarce few who do not pay great ones with ingratitude.

Preserving the serious health condition is usually painful.

There is an excess both in happiness and misery above our power of sensation.

Truth does less good in the world than its appearances do harm.

To establish oneself in the world, one does all one can to seem established there already.

It is given to few persons to keep this secret well. Those who lay down rules too often break them, and the safest we are able to give is to listen much, to speak little, and to say nothing that that will ever give ground or regret.

The judgments our enemies make about us come nearer to the truth than those we make about ourselves.

Jealousy lives upon doubts. It becomes madness or ceases entirely as soon as we pass from doubt to certainty.