Though men are apt to flatter and exalt themselves with their great achievements, yet these are, in truth, very often owing not so much to design as chance.
Francois de La RochefoucauldIt is often laziness and timidity that keep us within our duty while virtue gets all the credit.
Francois de La RochefoucauldThere are few people more convinced of their own genius than those who complain of how stupid they are.
Francois de La RochefoucauldWe sometimes imagine we hate flattery, but we only hate the way we are flattered.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld