The 70 Best Phrases Of François De La Rochefoucauld

François VI, Duke of La Rochefoucauld, was an important nobleman of 16th century France. He stood out as a writer, poet, politician and philosopher, who raised moral and ethical values ​​for a functional and dignified society. Thanks to his contributions, he was called the ‘Prince of Marcillac’.

The most interesting phrases by François de La Rochefoucauld

To better understand the contributions this aristocrat left on different concepts of humanity, from love to loyalty, we bring a compilation of quotes and reflections on François de La Rochefoucauld.

1. It happens with true love as with ghosts; Everyone talks about them, but very few have seen them.

True love doesn’t happen as often as we wish.

2. The easiest way to be deceived is to believe yourself to be smarter than others.

Arrogance is a weakness that makes us vulnerable.

3. Solemnity is a trick of the body to hide the defects of the mind.

Not all kind people have good intentions.

4. Foolish, is the name we generally give to those who do not think like us.

Each person has a different opinion and deserves respect, regardless of whether it coincides with ours.

5. If we judge love by most of its effects, it is more like hate than friendship.

Sometimes, the passion in love is so excessive that it can reach madness.

6. There is no disguise that can long hide love where it exists, nor fake it where there is none.

When you feel love for something or someone, it is impossible to hide for long.

7. We are never as happy or as unhappy as we believe.

Our perception of the world and of ourselves is biased.

8. Sobriety is the cult of the body that prevents gorging on food.

Remember that our health is influenced by our eating habits.

9. We put more interest in making others believe that we are happy than in trying to be.

Internal happiness is reflected on the outside.

10. Sometimes we think we hate flattery and what we hate is the way of flattering.

We prefer flattery that makes us feel completely good, not those that have any implicit criticism.

11. Jealousy is nourished by doubts and the truth undoes or fills them.

Jealousy is a representation of one’s own insecurity.

12. Silence is the safest match for those who distrust themselves.

For those who do not trust themselves, staying withdrawn becomes their safe place.

13. It is more shameful to distrust friends than to be deceived by them.

Distrust leads to perpetual loneliness.

14. Everyone complains about their memory, but no one complains about their intelligence.

Intelligences are very varied, but not everyone uses it wisely.

15. Old people like to give good advice, to console themselves for not being able to give bad examples.

An interesting change of perspective.

16. To take revenge for an offense is to put oneself on the level of one’s enemies; to forgive them is to become superior to them.

Revenge only consumes us from the inside.

17. Repentance is not so much regret for the evil we have done as fear of the evil that may befall us as a consequence.

Repent is a way to prevent the consequences of our actions from being more drastic.

18. Sometimes a fool has talent, but never good judgment.

Foolish people may have potential, but not everyone is willing to serve them.

19. Every age of life is new for us; No matter how old we are, we are still plagued by inexperience.

All stages of life have something that surprises us.

20. Temperament often determines the value of men and the virtue of women.

It is our actions that show others who we really are.

21. Philosophy easily triumphs over past and future misfortunes, but present misfortunes triumph over philosophy.

The unknown is the secret weapon of philosophy.

22. The duration of our passions depends as little on us as the duration of our life.

Passions must be cared for and listened to.

23. Passions often generate others that are their opposites: avarice sometimes produces prodigality, and prodigality avarice; We are often firm because we are weak, and bold because of cowardice.

This happens when we allow ourselves to be blinded by our passions.

24. Flattery is a kind of bad money, for which our vanity gives us currency.

Too much flattery makes us stop worrying about improving.

25. Some false things reproduce the truth so well that it would be an error in judgment not to be deceived by them.

All lies have a hint of reality.

26. We have no patience with other people’s vanity because it is offensive to our own vanity.

We are selfish by nature.

27. To be successful we must do everything possible to appear successful.

There are those who say that we should see our success as if we had already achieved it.

28. Eating is a necessity, but eating intelligently is an art.

Food can be an enemy when we do not balance it in a healthy way.

29. Moderation is a quality invented in order to limit the ambition of great men and console mediocre ones for their meager merits.

Everyone should be proud of the things they achieve, success is personal.

30. What makes lovers never get bored of being together is that they always spend their time talking about themselves.

A healthy relationship is not only about caring for another, but also about maintaining our self-love.

31. Virtue would not go very far if vanity did not keep it company.

It is not wrong to have ambitions, as long as they do not blind us.

32. We establish rules for others and exceptions for ourselves.

We tend to create excuses for our behavior, while judging the actions of others.

33. You forgive while you love.

People who love have a more compassionate heart.

34. It is as common for tastes to change as it is extraordinary for inclinations to vary.

We can all change our minds, that’s called maturity.

35. Our self-love suffers more impatiently the condemnation of our hobbies than that of our passions.

When we don’t know what we should do to live how we want, our interior suffers.

36. Few people have the wisdom to prefer criticism that would do them good, to praise that deceives them.

Criticism helps us improve, praise can be a lie to comfort us.

37. Hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue.

A reflection on hypocrisy for him.

38. The flatterer is the only speaker who always convinces us.

Many times we fall into the trap of those who know how to convince us.

39. It is necessary to have as much discretion to give advice as docility to receive it.

You have to know how to listen and speak when it is really necessary.

40. If the ridiculous side does not appear in some men, it is because we have looked for it well.

We all, at some point, do something stupid.

41. There are defects that, well managed, shine brighter than virtue itself.

We can use defects as inspiration to create new things.

42. The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of man’s most precious rights.

The freedom that we must all cherish, protect and maintain.

43. It is great stupidity to want to be exclusively wise.

No one person knows everything, there is always something new to learn.

44. Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy.

Envy is a kind of mental fog that keeps us in perpetual hatred.

45. We all have enough strength to endure the misfortune of others.

Even if it feels like something impossible to overcome, we can get through eventualities.

46. ​​In love, deception generally surpasses distrust.

The worst pain in a relationship is being betrayed by your partner.

47. There are few women whose charms survive their beauty.

Beauty goes beyond physical appearance, it is a representation of our personality.

48. What appears to be generosity is often nothing more than disguised ambition, which does not give importance to a small interest in order to secure a large one.

Many use charity as a way to gain power.

49. Those who apply themselves to trivial matters commonly become incapable of great ones.

A way of saying that people who are satisfied with what is simple do not seek to go further.

50. Most of our faults are more forgivable than the means we use to hide them.

It is preferable to be honest and recognize mistakes in order to remedy them.

51. No matter how much we try to cover the passions with appearances of piety and honor, they always manifest themselves through these veils.

Evil exists, even in ‘good intentions’.

52. Passions are the only speakers that always persuade. They are like an art of nature whose rules are infallible; and the dullest man when he is dominated by passion persuades better than the most eloquent man who lacks it.

Our passions lead us to want to fulfill our dreams, but we must be careful about letting them dominate us.

53. Self-love is more ingenious than the most ingenious man in this world.

When we have high self-esteem, we are able to achieve more things.

54. The laziness of our spirit is greater than that of our body.

Motivation begins in our mind.

55. When our hatred is too strong, it places us below what we hate.

The best revenge is to show that we can move forward regardless of the opinion of others.

56. Obstinacy is born from narrowness of spirit.

People who reject change are because they have a closed mind.

57. Sometimes we give advice, but we do not teach with our behavior.

Our words are worthless if our actions contradict them.

58. Sincerity is an outpouring of the heart. Very few have it; and what we ordinarily see is nothing but a refined dissimulation to gain the trust of others.

Appreciate those who are honest with you, the truth may hurt, but it is better than living a lie.

59. Mediocre spirits generally condemn everything that is not within their reach.

The nature of the envious, destroying other people’s happiness.

60. It is easier to be wise with others than with ourselves.

We tend to give great advice to others, but not put it into practice with ourselves.

61. If we didn’t have defects we wouldn’t feel so much pleasure discovering those of others.

Sometimes we reflect our problems on others, because we don’t want to admit our own.

62. Perfect courage consists in doing, without witnesses, what we would be capable of doing in front of the whole world.

Good deeds are done with honorable intentions, not to seek reward.

63. Interest, which blinds some, dazzles others.

Interest should be seen as a form of motivation, so we prevent it from consuming us.

64. Knowing the things that make one miserable is already a kind of happiness.

To seek something better, we must be aware of our flaws.

65. The true proof that one was born with great qualities lies in being born without envy.

The real challenge for those who have everything is to maintain humility.

66. Love, like fire, cannot subsist without continuous movement and dies as soon as it stops waiting or fearing.

Love also needs to grow, because if not, it withers.

67. We are so used to dressing up for others, that in the end we dress up for ourselves.

When we want to please others, we forget what makes us happy.

68. The intention not to deceive never exposes us to being deceived many times.

Not only do you have to be good people, but you have to learn not to be so trusting.

69. If we do not have peace within us, there is no point in looking for it outside.

The true and strongest happiness is that which arises from within us.

70. There are three types of ignorance: not knowing what should be known, poorly knowing what is known, and knowing what should not be known.

Ignorance is a weight that some decide to carry forever.