Francois de La Rochefoucauld Lever Quotations

Passion often renders the most clever man a fool, and sometimes renders the most foolish man clever.

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

There are but very few men clever enough to know all the mischief they do.

The most clever and polite are content with only seeming attentive while we perceive in their mind and eyes that at the very time they are wandering from what is said and desire to return to what they want to say.

No man is clever enough to know all the evil he does.

Too great cleverness is but deceptive delicacy, true delicacy is the most substantial cleverness.

Passion makes idiots of the cleverest men, and makes the biggest idiots clever.

There are no accidents so unlucky from which clever people are not able to reap some advantage, and none so lucky that the foolish are not able to turn them to their own disadvantage.

There is scarcely any man sufficiently clever to appreciate all the evil he does.

The desire of appearing clever often prevents our becoming so.

There are no circumstances, however unfortunate, that clever people do not extract some advantage from.

A clever man should handle his interests so that each will fall in suitable order of their value.

It's easier to know people in general than one person in particular

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

The principal point of cleverness is to know how to value things just as they deserve.

It is a great act of cleverness to be able to conceal one's being clever.

Passion often makes a fool of the cleverest man and often makes the most foolish men clever

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

We are not fond of praising, and never praise any one except from interested motives. Praise is a clever, concealed, and delicate flattery, which gratifies in different ways the giver and the receiver. The one takes it as a recompense of his merit, and the other bestows it to display his equity and discernment.

We can be more clever than one, but not more clever than all.