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

Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims

François de La Rochefoucauld · Licença: Public domain · Fonte

• 136.--There are some who never would have loved if they never had heard it spoken of. ¶256
• 137.--When not prompted by vanity we say little. ¶257
• 138.--A man would rather say evil of himself than say nothing. ¶258
• 140.--If it was not for the company of fools, a witty man would often be greatly at a loss. ¶262
• 141.--We often boast that we are never bored, but yet we are so conceited that we do not perceive how often we bore others. ¶263
• 142.--As it is the mark of great minds to say many things in a few words, so it is that of little minds to use many words to say nothing. ¶264
• "Men who are unequal to the labour of discussing an argument or wish to avoid it, are willing enough to suppose that much has been proved because much has been said."-- Junius, Jan. 1769.] ¶266
• 143.--It is oftener by the estimation of our own feelings that we exaggerate the good qualities of others than by their merit, and when we praise them we wish to attract their praise. ¶267
• 144.--We do not like to praise, and we never praise without a motive. Praise is flattery, artful, hidden, delicate, which gratifies differently him who praises and him who is praised. The one takes it as the reward of merit, the other bestows it to show his impartiality and knowledge. ¶268
• 145.--We often select envenomed praise which, by a reaction upon those we praise, shows faults we could not have shown by other means. ¶269
• 146.--Usually we only praise to be praised. ¶270
• 147.--Few are sufficiently wise to prefer censure which is useful to praise which is treacherous. ¶271
• 148.--Some reproaches praise; some praises reproach. ¶272
• 149.--The refusal of praise is only the wish to be praised twice. ¶274
• 150.--The desire which urges us to deserve praise strengthens our good qualities, and praise given to wit, valour, and beauty, tends to increase them. ¶276
• 151.--It is easier to govern others than to prevent being governed. ¶277
• 152.--If we never flattered ourselves the flattery of others would not hurt us. ¶278
• 153.--Nature makes merit but fortune sets it to work. ¶280
• 154.--Fortune cures us of many faults that reason could not. ¶281
• 155.--There are some persons who only disgust with their abilities, there are persons who please even with their faults. ¶282
• 156.--There are persons whose only merit consists in saying and doing stupid things at the right time, and who ruin all if they change their manners. ¶283
• 157.--The fame of great men ought always to be estimated by the means used to acquire it. ¶284
• 158.--Flattery is base coin to which only our vanity gives currency. ¶285
• 159.--It is not enough to have great qualities, we should also have the management of them. ¶286
• 160.--However brilliant an action it should not be esteemed great unless the result of a great motive. ¶287
• 161.--A certain harmony should be kept between actions and ideas if we desire to estimate the effects that they produce. ¶288
• 162.--The art of using moderate abilities to advantage wins praise, and often acquires more reputation than real brilliancy. ¶289
• 163.--Numberless arts appear foolish whose secre{t} motives are most wise and weighty. ¶290
• 164.--It is much easier to seem fitted for posts we do not fill than for those we do. ¶291
• 165.--Ability wins us the esteem of the true men, luck that of the people. ¶292
• 166.--The world oftener rewards the appearance of merit than merit itself. ¶293
• 167.--Avarice is more opposed to economy than to liberality. ¶294
• 168.--However deceitful hope may be, yet she carries us on pleasantly to the end of life. ¶295
• 169.--Idleness and fear keeps us in the path of duty, but our virtue often gets the praise. ¶297
• 170.--If one acts rightly and honestly, it is difficult to decide whether it is the effect of integrity or skill. ¶299
• 171.--As rivers are lost in the sea so are virtues in self. ¶300
• 172.--If we thoroughly consider the varied effects of indifference we find we miscarry more in our duties than in our interests. ¶301
• 173.--There are different kinds of curiosity: one springs from interest, which makes us desire to know everything that may be profitable to us; another from pride, which springs from a desire of knowing what others are ignorant of. ¶302
• 174.--It is far better to accustom our mind to bear the ills we have than to speculate on those which may befall us. ¶303
• 175.--Constancy in love is a perpetual inconstancy which causes our heart to attach itself to all the qualities of the person we love in succession, sometimes giving the preference to one, sometimes to another. This constancy is merely inconstancy fixed, and limited to the same person. ¶305

VoltarSeguinte →Livros de sentenças