Francois de La Rochefoucauld Wish Quotations

It is great folly to wish to be wise all alone.

We are nearer loving those who hate us than those who love us more than we wish.

In all professions each affects a look and an exterior to appear what he wishes the world to believe that he is. Thus we may say that the whole world is made up of appearances.

We are very far from always knowing our own wishes.

Timidity is a fault for which it is dangerous to reprove persons whom we wish to correct of it.

Pride does not wish to owe and vanity does not wish to pay.

It is oftener by the estimation of our own feelings that we exaggerate the good qualities of others than by their merit, and when we praise them we wish to attract their praise.

The man who leaves a woman best pleased with herself is the one whom she will soonest wish to see.

Humility is the altar upon which God wishes that we should offer Him His sacrifices.

He is a truly virtuous man who wishes always to be open to the observation of honest men.

What makes us so often discontented with those who transact business for us is that they almost always abandon the interest of their friends for the interest of the business, because they wish to have the honor of succeeding in that which they have undertaken.

In all aspects of life, we take on a part and an appearance to seem to be what we wish to be--and thus the world is merely composed of actors.

We are eager to believe that others are flawed because we are eager to believe in what we wish for.

We should wish for few things with eagerness, if we perfectly knew the nature of that which was the object of our desire.

We do not wish ardently for what we desire only through reason.