Our enemies come nearer the truth in the opinions they form of us than we do in our opinion of ourselves.
Francois de La RochefoucauldClemency, which we make a virtue of, proceeds sometimes from vanity, sometimes from indolence, often from fear, and almost always from a mixture of all three.
Francois de La RochefoucauldAvarice often produces opposite results: there are an infinite number of persons who sacrifice their property to doubtful and distant expectations; others mistake great future advantages for small present interests.
Francois de La RochefoucauldThe soul's maladies have their relapses like the body's. What we take for a cure is often just a momentary rally or a new form of the disease.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld