The Homage That Vice Pays to Virtue

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Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld 1613-1680

A cynical observer in the court of the French king, Louis XIV, and a forefather of the enlightenment.

Part Two

The mind is always the dupe of the heart.

Nothing is given so profusely as advice.

The true way to be deceived is to think oneself more clever than others.

We would rather speak ill of ourselves than not talk about ourselves at all.

Usually we praise only to be praised.

Who lives without folly is not so wise as he thinks.

Most people judge men only by their success or their good fortune.

Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue.

Too great haste in paying off an obligation is a kind of ingratitude.

There is great skill in knowing how to conceal one’s skill.

The pleasure of love is in loving. We are happier in the passion we feel than in that we arouse.