Humility is often only feigned submission which people use to render others submissive. It is a subterfuge of pride which lowers itself in order to rise.
Francois de La RochefoucauldOur good qualities expose us more to hatred and persecution than all the ill we do.
Francois de La RochefoucauldEveryone agrees that a secret should be kept intact, but everyone does not agree as to the nature and importance of secrecy. Too often we consult ourselves as to what we should say, what we should leave unsaid. There are few permanent secrets, and the scruple against revealing them will not last forever.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld