MAXIMS

AND

MORAL REFLECTIONS,

BY THE

DUKE DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULT.

Read in the morning some of La Rochefcucault's Maxims; consider them, examine them well, and compare Shem with the real characters you meat in the evening." Till you come to know mankind by your own experience, I know no thing, nor no man, that can, in the mean time, bring you so weli acquainted with them as Le Duc de la Rochefoucault. His little Book of Maxims, which I would advise you to look into, for zome moments at least, every day of your life, is, I fear, too like and too exact a picture of human nature. I own, it seems to degrade it: but yet my experience does not convince mo that it degrades it unjustly.'t

THE desire of appearing to be persons of ability often prevents our being so.

No accidents are so unlucky, but that the prudent may draw some advantage from them: nor are there any so lucky, but what the imprudent may turn to their prejudice.

Great actions, the lustre of which dazzles us, are re

*See Chesterfield's Letters: Letter 225.

t Letter 273.

presented by politicians as the effect of deep design; whereas they are commonly the effects of caprice and passion. Thus the war between Augustus and Antony, supposed to be owing to their ambition to give a master to the world, arose probably from jealousy.

There is nothing of which we are so liberal as of advice.

We may give advice; but we cannot give conduct.

We are never made so ridiculous by the qualities we have, as by those we affect to have.

We had better appear to be what we are, than affect to appear what we are not.

We judge so superficially of things, that com mon words and actions, spoke and done in en agreeable manner, with some knowledge of what passes in the world, often succeed beyond the greatest ability.

The ambitious deceive themselves in proposing an end to their ambition; for that end, when attained, becomes a means.

When great men suffer themselves to be subdued by the length of their misfortunes, they discover that the strength of their ambition, not of their understanding, was that which supported them. They discover too, that, allowing for a little vanity, heroes are just like other men.

We pass often from love to ambition; but we seldom return from ambition to love.

Those who apply themselves too much to little things, commonly become incapable of great ones. Few things are impracticable in themselves; and it is for want of application, rather than of means, that men fail of success.

Avarice is more opposite to economy than liberality

Extreme avarice almost always makes mistakes. There is no passion that oftener misses its aim, nor on which the present has so much influence in prejudice of the future.

Avarice often produces contrary effects. There are many people who sacrifice their whole fortunes to dubious and distant expectations; there are others who contemn great future for little present advantages.

We like better to see those on whom we confer benefits, than those from whom we receive them. Civility is a desire to receive civility, and to be accounted well-bred.

That conduct often seems ridiculous, the secret reasons of which are wise and solid.

A man often imagines he acts, when he is acted upon; and while his mind aims at one thing, his heart insensibly gravitates towards another.

In conversation, confidence has a greater share than wit.

In love, there are two sorts of constancy: one arises from our continually finding ia tre favourite object fresh motives to love; the other, from our making it a point of honour to be constant.

None but the contemptible are apprehensive of contempt.

One reason why we meet with so few people who are reasonable and agreeable in conversation is, that there is scarcely any body who does not think more of what he has to say, than of answering what is said to him: Even those who have the most address and politeness, think they do enough if they only seem to be attentive; at the same time

their eyes and their minds betray a distraction as to what is addressed to them, and an impatience to return to what they themselves were saying: not reflecting, that to be thus studious of pleasing themselves, is but a poor way of pleasing or convincing others; and that to hear patiently, and an swer precisely, are the great perfections of conver sation.

We easily forget crimes that are known only to ourselves.

The greatest of all cunning is, to seem blind to the snares laid for us: men are never so easily de. ceived as while they are endeavouring to deceive others.

Cunning and treachery proceed from want of capacity.

The sure way to be cheated, is to fancy ourselves more cunning than others.

Few people are well acquainted with death. It is generally submitted to through stupidity and custom, not resolution. Most men die mcrely because they cannot help it.

Death and the sun are not to be looked at steadily. It is as easy to deceive curselves without our perceiving it, as it is difficult to deceive others without their perceiving it.

Decency is the least of all laws, but the most strictly observed.

It is much easier to suppress a first desire, than to satisfy those that follow.

Before we passionately wish for any thing, we should examine into the happiness of its possessor. Were we perfectly acquainted with the object, we should never passionately desire it.

Were we to take as much pains to be what we

ought, as we do to disguise what we are, we might appear like ourselves, without being at the trouble of any disguise at all.

We are so used to disguise ourselves to others, that at last we become disguised even to ourselves. A man who finds not satisfaction in himself. seeks for it in vain elsewhere.

Envy is more irreconcilable than hatred.

Envy is destroyed by true friendship, and coquetry by true love.

A great genius will sincerely acknowledge his defects as well as his perfections: it is a weakness not to own the ill as well as the good that is in us. Had we no faults ourselves, we should take less pleasure in observing those of others.

Flattery is a sort of bad money, to which our vanity gives currency.

We should manage our fortune like our constitution: enjoy it when good, have patience when bad; and never apply violent remedies but in cases of necessity.

It is more dishonourable to distrust a friend, than to be deceived by him.

We always love those who admire us; but we do not always love those whom we admire.

Rare as true love is, it is less so than true friendship.

The greatest effort of friendship is, not the discovery of our faults to a friend, but the endeavouring to make him see his own.

A fool has not stuff enough to make a good man. Resolute people alone can be truly good natured; such as commonly seem so are weak, and easily soured.

Good sense should be the test of all rules, both