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

Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims

François de La Rochefoucauld · Licence: Public domain · Source

• 95.--The test of extraordinary merit is to see those who envy it the most yet obliged to praise it. ¶209
• 96.--A man is perhaps ungrateful, but often less chargeable with ingratitude than his benefactor is. ¶210
• 98.--Everyone praises his heart, none dare praise their understanding. ¶212
• 99.--Politeness of mind consists in thinking chaste and refined thoughts. ¶213
• 100.--Gallantry of mind is saying the most empty things in an agreeable manner. ¶214
• 101.--Ideas often flash across our minds more complete than we could make them after much labour. ¶215
• 102.--The head is ever the dupe of the heart. ¶216
• 103.--Those who know their minds do not necessarily know their hearts. ¶218
• 104.--Men and things have each their proper perspective; to judge rightly of some it is necessary to see them near, of others we can never judge rightly but at a distance. ¶219
• 105.--A man for whom accident discovers sense, is not a rational being. A man only is so who understands, who distinguishes, who tests it. ¶220
• 106.--To understand matters rightly we should understand their details, and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect. ¶221
• 107.--One kind of flirtation is to boast we never flirt. ¶222
• 108.--The head cannot long play the part of the heart. ¶223
• 109.--Youth changes its tastes by the warmth of its blood, age retains its tastes by habit. ¶224
• 110.--Nothing is given so profusely as advice. ¶225
• 111.--The more we love a woman the more prone we are to hate her. ¶226
• 112.--The blemishes of the mind, like those of the face, increase by age. ¶227
• 113.--There may be good but there are no pleasant marriages. ¶228
• 114.--We are inconsolable at being deceived by our enemies and betrayed by our friends, yet still we are often content to be thus served by ourselves. ¶229
• 115.--It is as easy unwittingly to deceive oneself as to deceive others. ¶230
• 117.--The most subtle of our acts is to simulate blindness for snares that we know are set for us. We are never so easily deceived as when trying to deceive. ¶233
• 118.--The intention of never deceiving often exposes us to deception. ¶234
• 119.--We become so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that at last we are disguised to ourselves. ¶235
• {The translators' incorrectly cite Thoughts On The Cause Of The Present Discontents.} ¶237
• 120.--We often act treacherously more from weakness than from a fixed motive. ¶238
• 121.--We frequently do good to enable us with impunity to do evil. ¶239
• 122.--If we conquer our passions it is more from their weakness than from our strength. ¶240
• 123.--If we never flattered ourselves we should have but scant pleasure. ¶241
• 124.--The most deceitful persons spend their lives in blaming deceit, so as to use it on some great occasion to promote some great interest. ¶242
• 125.--The daily employment of cunning marks a little mind, it generally happens that those who resort to it in one respect to protect themselves lay themselves open to attack in another. ¶243
• 126.--Cunning and treachery are the offspring of incapacity. ¶245
• 127.--The true way to be deceived is to think oneself more knowing than others. ¶246
• 128.--Too great cleverness is but deceptive delicacy, true delicacy is the most substantial cleverness. ¶247
• 129.--It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men. ¶248
• 130.--Weakness is the only fault which cannot be cured. ¶249
• 131.--The smallest fault of women who give themselves up to love is to love. [------"Faciunt graviora coactae Imperio sexus minimumque libidine peccant." Juvenal, Sat. vi., 134.] ¶250
• 132.--It is far easier to be wise for others than to be so for oneself. ¶251
• 133.--The only good examples are those, that make us see the absurdity of bad originals. ¶253
• 134.--We are never so ridiculous from the habits we have as from those that we affect to have. ¶254
• 135.--We sometimes differ more widely from ourselves than we do from others. ¶255

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