François de La Rochefoucauld may refer to:
Youth is a continual intoxication; it is the fever of reason.
Perfect Valor is to do, without a witness, all that we could do before the whole world.
Solemnity is a device of the body to hide the faults of the mind.
Moderation is caused by the fear of exciting the envy and contempt which those merit who are intoxicated with their good fortune; it is a vain display of our strength of mind, and in short the moderation of men at their greatest height is only a desire to appear greater than their fortune.
Repentance is not so much remorse for what we have done as the fear of the consequences.
Jealousy is in a manner just and reasonable, as it tends to preserve a good which belongs, or which we believe belongs to us, on the other hand envy is a fury which cannot endure the happiness of others.
We are very far from always knowing our own wishes.
To know how to hide one's ability is great skill.
Affected simplicity is an elegant imposture.
Avarice often produces opposite results: there are an infinite number of persons who sacrifice their property to doubtful and distant expectations; others mistake great future advantages for small present interests.
We seldom find people ungrateful so long as it is thought we can serve them.
Wit sometimes enables us to act rudely with impunity.
Flattery is a base coin which is current only through our vanity.
The measure of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acquire it.
There are few people more convinced of their own genius than those who complain of how stupid they are.
As the great ones of this world are unable to bestow health of body or peace of mind, we always pay too high a price for any good they can do.
Hope, deceiving as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route.
It is easier to fall in love when you are out of it than to get out of it when you are in.
Avarice is more opposite to economy than liberality.
It is with an old love as it is with old age a man lives to all the miseries, but is dead to all the pleasures.