M. Sainte Beuve says, that unless we study this first part of Rochefou… — Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims

Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims — François de La Rochefoucauld

M. Sainte Beuve says, that unless we study this first part of Rochefoucauld's life, we shall never understand his maxims. The bitter disappointment of the passionate love, the high hopes then formed, the deceit and treachery then witnessed, furnished the real key to their meaning. The cutting cynicism of the morality was built on the ruins of that chivalrous ambition and romantic affection. He saw his friend Cinq Mars sent to the scaffold, himself betrayed by men whom he had trusted, and the only reason he could assign for these actions was intense selfishness.

Endroit: ¶39
Licence: Public domain · Source
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