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…
In whatever way people may praise us, they never teach us anything new.
There are people who would never be in love if they had never heard of love.
In the adversity of our best friends, we often find something which does not displease us.
We would gain more by letting ourselves be seen as we really are, than by attempting to appear what we are not.
Few people are wise enough to prefer useful reproof to treacherous praise.
What appears to be generosity is usually nothing more than disguised ambition, which despises petty self-interests in order to gain greater self-interests.
True bravery is shown by performing without witness what one might be capable of doing before all the world.
If we cannot find contentment in ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
Few things are needed to make a wise man happy; nothing can make a foolish man content, and that is why most men are miserable.
Before we passionately desire anything which another enjoys, we should examine into the happiness of its possessor.
