Francois de La Rochefoucauld Quotes About Desire
-
Before we passionately desire a thing, we should examine the happiness of its possessor.
→ -
Love of glory, fear of shame, greed for fortune, the desire to make life agreeable and comfortable, and the wish to depreciate others - all of these are often the causes of the bravery that is spoken so highly of by men.
→ -
When we enlarge upon the affection our friends have for us, this is very often not so much out of a sense of gratitude as from a desire to persuade people of our own great worth, that can deserve so much kindness.
→ -
We should desire very few things passionately if we did but perfectly know the nature of the things we desire.
→ -
Happiness does not consist in things themselves but in the relish we have of them; and a man has attained it when he enjoys what he loves and desires himself, and not what other people think lovely and desirable.
→ -
The desire to seem clever often keeps us from being so.
→ -
Men never desire anything very eagerly which they desire only by the dictates of reason.
→ -
Were we perfectly acquainted with the object, we should never passionately desire it.
→ -
A refusal of praise is a desire to be praised twice.
→ -
We do not wish ardently for what we desire only through reason.
→ -
Civility is a desire to receive civilities, and to be accounted well-bred.
→ -
The desire which urges us to deserve praise strengthens our good qualities, and praise given to wit, valour, and beauty, tends to increase them.
→ -
It is difficult to define love; all we can say is, that in the soul it is a desire to rule, in the mind it is a sympathy, and in the body it is a hidden and delicate wish to possess what we love-Plus many mysteries.
→ -
The contempt of riches in philosophers was only a hidden desire to avenge their merit upon the injustice of fortune, by despising the very goods of which fortune had deprived them; it was a secret to guard themselves against the degradation of poverty, it was a back way by which to arrive at that distinction which they could not gain by riches.
→ -
The greatest part of intimate confidences proceed from a desire either to be pitied or admired.
→ -
Nothing prevents one from appearing natural as the desire to appear natural.
→ -
Our desires always disappoint us; for though we meet with something that gives us satisfaction, yet it never thoroughly answers our expectation. [However disappointment can always be removed if we remember it could have turned out worse.]
→ -
The moderation of men in the most exalted fortunes is a desire to be thought above those things that have raised them so high.
→ -
When we exaggerate our friends' tenderness towards us, it is often less from gratitude than from a desire to exhibit our own virtue.
→ -
We never desire strongly, what we desire rationally.
→ -
The desire of talking of ourselves, and showing those faults we do not mind having seen, makes up a good part of our sincerity.
→ -
We should wish for few things with eagerness, if we perfectly knew the nature of that which was the object of our desire.
→ -
The gratitude of most men is but a secret desire of receiving greater benefits.
→ -
There are few things we should keenly desire if we really knew what we wanted.
→ -
Moderation is caused by the fear of exciting the envy and contempt which those merit who are intoxicated with their good fortune; it is a vain display of our strength of mind, and in short the moderation of men at their greatest height is only a desire to appear greater than their fortune.
→ -
We label judges with having the meanest motives, and yet we desire that our reputation and fame should depend upon the judgment of men, who are all, either from their jealousy or preoccupation or want of intelligence, opposed to us - and yet despite their bias, just for the sake of making these men decide in our favor, we peril in so many ways both our peace and our life.
→ -
When we seek reconciliation with our enemies, it is commonly out of a desire to better our own condition, a being harassed and tired out with a state of war, and a fear of some ill accident which we are willing to prevent.
→ -
Virtue is the habit of acting according to wisdom. GOTTFRIED WILHELM LEIBNIZ, "Felicity", Leibniz: Political Writings Virtue is harder to be got than knowledge of the world; and, if lost in a young man, is seldom recovered. JOHN LOCKE, Some Thoughts Concerning Education However wicked men may be, they do not dare openly to appear the enemies of virtue, and when they desire to persecute her they either pretend to believe her false or attribute crimes to her.
→ -
The desire to be thought clever often prevents a man from becoming so.
→ -
We should scarcely desire things ardently if we were perfectly acquainted with what we desire.
→
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
- Born: September 15, 1613
- Died: March 17, 1680
- Occupation: Author
Related Authors
-
Blaise Pascal Mathematician -
Jean Francois Paul de Gondi Writer -
Friedrich Nietzsche Philologist -
-
Baltasar Gracian Writer -
Voltaire Writer -
-
Baruch Spinoza Philosopher -
Jean Racine Dramatist -
Michel de Montaigne Writer -
Luc de Clapiers Writer -
-
Arthur Schopenhauer Philosopher -
-
-
Jean de La Fontaine Poet -
-
Madame de La Fayette Writer -
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Writer -
Nicolas Chamfort Writer