Francois de La Rochefoucauld Good Quotations

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

There is no better proof of a man's being truly good than his desiring to be constantly under the observation of good men.

There are good marriages, but there are no delightful ones.

We feel good and ill only in proportion to our self-love.

Nothing is rarer than real goodness.

There are some good marriages, but practically no delightful ones.

There are few good women who do not tire of their role.

Whatever good things people say of us, they tell us nothing new.

Everyone complains of his memory, and nobody complains of his judgment.

Why is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person?

There are bad people who would be less dangerous if they were quite devoid of goodness.

It is often hard to determine whether a clear, open, and honorable proceeding is the result of goodness or of cunning.

Some good qualities are like the senses: Those who are entirely deprived of them can have no notion of them.

Our good qualities expose us more to hatred and persecution than all the ill we do.

There are heroes of wickedness, as there are of goodness.

The esteem of good men is the reward of our worth, but the reputation of the world in general is the gift of our fate.

A good woman is a hidden treasure; who discovers her will do well not to boast about it.

Good and bad fortune are found severally to visit those who have the most of the one or the other.

A fool has not material enough to be good. [Fr., Un sot n'a pas assez d'etoffe pour etre bon.]

Nothing is rarer than true good nature; they who are reputed to have it are generally only pliant or weak.

A fool has not stuff enough to make a good man.

Old men are fond of giving good advice to console themselves for their inability to give bad examples.