Though nature be ever so generous, yet can she not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part too; and till both concur, the work cannot be perfected.
Francois de La RochefoucauldSometimes there is equal or more ability in knowing how to use good advice than there is in giving it.
Francois de La RochefoucauldA man of understanding finds less difficulty in submitting to a wrong-headed fellow, than in attempting to set him right.
Francois de La RochefoucauldThe prospect of being pleased tomorrow will never console me for the boredom of today.
Francois de La RochefoucauldWe are deceived if we think that mind and judgment are two different matters: judgment is but the extent of the light of the mind. This light penetrates to the bottom of matters; it remarks all that can be remarked, and perceives what appears imperceptible. Therefore we must agree that it is the extent of the light in the mind that produces all the effects which we attribute to judgment.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld