Francois de La Rochefoucauld Sir Quotations

Civility is a desire to receive civilities, and to be accounted well-bred.

Before we passionately desire a thing, we should examine the happiness of its possessor.

Politeness is a desire to be treated politely, and to be esteemed polite oneself.

A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice.

The contempt of riches in philosophers was only a hidden desire to avenge their merit upon the injustice of fortune, by despising the very goods of which fortune had deprived them; it was a secret to guard themselves against the degradation of poverty, it was a back way by which to arrive at that distinction which they could not gain by riches.

When we disclaim praise, it is only showing our desire to be praised a second time.

We should scarcely desire things ardently if we were perfectly acquainted with what we desire.

The desire of appearing clever often prevents our becoming so.

When we exaggerate our friends' tenderness towards us, it is often less from gratitude than from a desire to exhibit our own virtue.

Reconciliation with our enemies is simply a desire to better our condition, a weariness of war, or the fear of some unlucky thing from occurring.

We label judges with having the meanest motives, and yet we desire that our reputation and fame should depend upon the judgment of men, who are all, either from their jealousy or preoccupation or want of intelligence, opposed to us - and yet despite their bias, just for the sake of making these men decide in our favor, we peril in so many ways both our peace and our life.

We never desire strongly, what we desire rationally.

There are few things we should keenly desire if we really knew what we wanted.

Nothing prevents one from appearing natural as the desire to appear natural.

The greatest part of intimate confidences proceed from a desire either to be pitied or admired.

The desire to seem clever often keeps us from being so.

The desire of talking of ourselves, and showing those faults we do not mind having seen, makes up a good part of our sincerity.

The moderation of men in the most exalted fortunes is a desire to be thought above those things that have raised them so high.

Men never desire anything very eagerly which they desire only by the dictates of reason.

We should desire very few things passionately if we did but perfectly know the nature of the things we desire.

We should wish for few things with eagerness, if we perfectly knew the nature of that which was the object of our desire.

The contempt of riches in the philosophers was a concealed desire of revenging on fortune the injustice done to their merit, by despising the good she denied them.

Were we perfectly acquainted with the object, we should never passionately desire it.

The desire which urges us to deserve praise strengthens our good qualities, and praise given to wit, valour, and beauty, tends to increase them.

We do not wish ardently for what we desire only through reason.