Quotes from Francois La Rochefoucauld

The reason why so few people are agreeable in conversation is that each is thinking more about what he intends to say than about what others are saying, and we never listen when we are eager to speak.

We may give advice, but we can't inspire conduct.

Old men like to give good advice in order to console themselves for not being any longer able to set bad examples.

Nothing is given so profusely as advice.

The one thing people are the most liberal with, is their advice.

Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples.

Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example.

Old people love to give good advice; it compensates them for their inability to set a bad example.

Men give away nothing so liberally as their advice.

Old men are fond of giving advice to console themselves for being no longer in a position to give bad examples.

A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and the one that we take the least care of all to acquire.

The only thing constant in life is change.

The sure way to be cheated is to think one's self more cunning than others.

The veracity which increases with old age is not far from folly.

Age is a tyrant who forbids at the penalty of life all the pleasures of youth.

Of all the violent passions the one that becomes a woman best is love.

Women who love, pardon more readily great indiscretions than little infidelities.

In their first passion women love their lovers, in all the others they love love.

One can find women who have never had one love affair, but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one.

The pleasure of love is in loving. We are much happier in the passion we feel than in that we inspire

If we are to judge of love by the consequences, it more nearly resembles hatred than friendship.

One forgives to the degree that one loves.

There are very few people who are not ashamed of having been in love when they no longer love each other.

The love of justice in most men is simply the fear of suffering injustice.