Francois VI Duc de La Rochefoucauld
Francois VI Duc de La Rochefoucauld
eloquent man natural passions persuasive rules simplest
The passions are the only advocates which always persuade. They are a natural art, the rules of which are infallible; and the simplest man with passion will be more persuasive than the most eloquent without.
absence blows candles great increases mediocre passions wind
Absence weakens mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind blows out candles and kindles fires.
absence candles diminishes fans great increases passions wind
Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire.
convinces orators passions speakers-and-speaking
Passions are the only orators to always convinces us.
discharge great hurry obligation
Too great a hurry to discharge an obligation is a kind of ingratitude.
finds man peace seek useless within
When a man finds no peace within himself, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
faithful love remain struggle undergo
The struggle we undergo to remain faithful to one we love is little better than infidelity.
argument fault last lay quarrels
Quarrels would not last so long if the fault lay only on one side.
approach enemies judgments nearer truth
Our enemies approach nearer to truth in their judgments of us than we do ourselves.
credit except good opinions persons scarcely
We credit scarcely any persons with good sense except those who are of our opinion.
constancy cute-love giving heart itself love perpetual preference sweet-love
Constancy in love is a perpetual inconstancy, in which the heart attaches itself successively to each of the lover's qualities, giving preference now to one, now to another.
becomes doubt entirely madness pass soon stops
Live on doubts; it becomes madness or stops entirely as soon as we pass from doubt to certainty.
faults french-writer half observing
If we had no faults of our own, we should not take half so much satisfaction in observing those of other people.
passion resist weakness
If we resist our passions, it is more through their weakness than from our strength.