Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613 – 1680) was a French author. Born into one of the most prestigious families of the French nobility, his education was augmented with military exercises, hunting, and court etiquette. At the age of seventeen he joined the army, and fought bravely in several campaigns over the years. He was widely recognized as a moralist and a man of letters. Out of his extensive writings, La Rochefoucauld only published two works, his most famous being Maximes.
Quotes by Francois de La Rochefoucauld…
Love of justice in most men is only the fear of suffering from injustice.
There is a kind of elevation which does not depend on fortune. It is a certain air which distinguishes us, and seems to destine us for great things; it is a price which we set upon ourselves.
Narrowness of mind is the cause of obstinacy — we do not easily believe what is beyond our site.
We would desire few things ardently if we had a perfect knowledge of what we were desiring.
However evil men may be, they dare not appear to be enemies of truth, so when they persecute it, they pretend to believe that it is error, or say it is capable of crimes.
Nothing so much prevents our being natural as the desire of appearing so.
We are upset at being deceived by our enemies, and betrayed by our friends, and yet we are often content to be deceived by ourselves.
A man often fancies that he guides himself, when he is actually guided by other people, and while his mind aims at one objective, his heart insensibly draws him towards another.
We easily pardon in our friends those faults which do not affect our own interests.
Few people are more often in the wrong than those who cannot bear to be wrong.