Quotes from Francois de La Rochefoucauld

The man that thinks he loves his mistress for her own sake is mightily mistaken.

Men frequently do good only to give themselves opportunity of doing ill with impunity.

Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding.

Gracefulness is to the body what understanding is to the mind.

Those that have had great passions esteem themselves for the rest of their lives fortunate and unfortunate in being cured of them.

People that are conceited of their own merit take pride in being unfortunate, that themselves and others may think them considerable enough to be the envy and the mark of fortune.

Our wisdom is no less at fortune's mercy than our wealth.

The desire to be thought clever often prevents a man from becoming so.

Our wisdom lies as much at the mercy of fortune as our possessions do.

To think to be wise alone is a very great folly.

All women are flirts, but some are restrained by shyness, and others by sense.

Passion very often makes the wisest men fools, and very often too inspires the greatest fools with wit.

If a man doesn't find ease in himself, 'tis in vain to seek it elsewhere.

The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. The glory of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acpuire it.

A man's worth has its season, like fruit.

The simplest man with passion will be more persuasive than the most eloquent without.

A wise man thinks it more advantageous not to join the battle than to win.

A clever man reaps some benefit from the worst catastrophe, and a fool can turn even good luck to his disadvantage.

Many men are contemptuous of riches; few can give them away.

Only great men have great faults.

A resolution never to deceive exposes a man to be often deceived.

Ability wins us the esteem of the true men; luck, that of the people.

He that would be a great man must learn to turn every accident to some advantage.

To be a great man it is necessary to know how to profit by the whole of our good fortune.