Quotes by Duc de La Rochefoucauld

What men have given the name of friendship to is nothing but an alliance, a reciprocal accommodation of interest, an exchange of good offices; in it is nothing but a system of traffic, in which self-love always proposes to itself some advantage.

It is a common fault to never be satisfied with our fortune, nor dissatisfied with our understanding.

The true means of being misled is to believe oneself finer than the others.

There are very few people who are not ashamed of having been in love when they no longer love each other.

Deprived of the company of fools, a great wit does not seem half so clever.

Few things are needed to make a wise man happy; nothing can make a fool content.

It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.

A clever man should organize his self-interests in the order of their worth. Greediness often defeats its own end, by making us scratch for every trifle when we should dig for gold alone.

We need greater virtues to sustain good fortune than bad.

Perfect virtue consists in doing without witnesses that which we would be capable of doing before everyone.