“It is easier to know man in general than to know one man.”
                                        
                                        Il est plus aisé de connaître l'homme en général que de connaître un homme en particulier. 
Variant translation: It is much easier to know men generally, than to know a particular man. 
Maxim 436. 
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)