“ We should gain more by letting the world see what we are than by trying to seem what we are not. ”
François de La Rochefoucauld, Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665). copy citation
| Author | François de La Rochefoucauld |
|---|---|
| Source | Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims |
| Topic | appearance sincerity deceit |
| Date | 1665 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by J. W. Willis Bund |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/9105/9105-h/9105-h.htm |
Context
“
455.—However disposed the world may be to judge wrongly, it far oftener favours false merit than does justice to true.
456.—Sometimes we meet a fool with wit, never one with discretion.
457.—We should gain more by letting the world see what we are than by trying to seem what we are not.
458.—Our enemies come nearer the truth in the opinions they form of us than we do in our opinion of ourselves.
459.—There are many remedies to cure love, yet none are infallible.
460.—It would be well for us if we knew all our passions make us do.” source
455.—However disposed the world may be to judge wrongly, it far oftener favours false merit than does justice to true.
456.—Sometimes we meet a fool with wit, never one with discretion.
457.—We should gain more by letting the world see what we are than by trying to seem what we are not.
458.—Our enemies come nearer the truth in the opinions they form of us than we do in our opinion of ourselves.
459.—There are many remedies to cure love, yet none are infallible.
460.—It would be well for us if we knew all our passions make us do.” source
Meaning and analysis
