Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims is a collection of aphorisms written by French nobleman François de La Rochefoucauld between 1665 and 1678.
“Those who know their minds do not know their hearts.”
Tous ceux qui connaissent leur esprit ne connaissent pas leur coeur.
Maxim 103.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“The love of justice is simply in the majority of men the fear of suffering injustice.”
L'amour de la justice n'est en la plupart des hommes que la crainte de souffrir l'injustice.
Maxim 78.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
Il y a dans le coeur humain une génération perpétuelle de passions, en sorte que la ruine de l'une est presque toujours l'établissement d'une autre.
Maxim 10.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side.”
Les querelles ne dureraient pas longtemps, si le tort n'était que d'un côté.
Maxim 496.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
Comme c’est le caractère des grands esprits de faire entendre en peu de paroles beaucoup de choses, les petits esprits au contraire ont le don de beaucoup parler, et de ne rien dire.
Maxim 142.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding.”
Les esprits médiocres condamnent d'ordinaire tout ce qui passe leur portée.
Maxim 375.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“Neither the sun nor death can be looked at steadily.”
Le soleil ni la mort ne se peuvent regarder fixement.
Maxim 26. Sometimes incorrectly translated as "with a steady eye".
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“The vivacity which increases with old age is not so far removed from folly.”
La vivacité qui augmente en vieillissant ne va pas loin de la folie.
Maxim 416.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
http://books.google.com/books?id=vQEzAAAAMAAJ&q=%22We+should+often+be+ashamed+of+our+very+best+actions+if+the+world+only+saw+the+motives+which+caused+them%22&pg=PA47#v=onepage
Nous aurions souvent honte de nos plus belles actions, si le monde voyoit tous les motifs qui les produisent.
http://books.google.com/books?id=X8akMrBxYegC&q=%22Nous%22+%22aurions+souvent+honte+de+nos+plus+belles+Actions+si+le+monde+voyoit+tous+les+motifs+qui%22+%22les+produisent%22&pg=PA232#v=onepage
Maxim 409.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
Les défauts de l'âme sont comme les blessures du corps: quelque soin qu'on prenne de les guérir, la cicatrice paraît toujours, et elles sont à tout moment en danger de se rouvrir.
Variant translation: The defects of the mind are like the wounds of the body. Whatever care we take to heal them the scars ever remain, and there is always danger of their reopening.
Maxim 194.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“There are people who would never be in love had they not heard [others] speak of love”
Il y a des gens qui n'auraient jamais été amoureux s'ils n'avaint jamais entendu parler de l'amour.
Maxim 136. Variant translations:
People would never fall in love if they hadn’t heard love talked about.
There are some people who would never have fallen in love if they had not heard there was such a thing.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“Philosophy triumphs easily over past and future evils; but present evils triumph over it.”
La philosophie triomphe aisément des maux passés et des maux à venir. Mais les maux présents triomphent d'elle.
Maxim 22. Compare: "This same philosophy is a good horse in the stable, but an arrant jade on a journey", Oliver Goldsmith, The Good-Natured Man, Act i.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“Too great a hurry to be discharged of an obligation is a kind of ingratitude.”
Le trop grand empressement qu'on a de s'acquitter d'une obligation est une espèce d'ingratitude.
Maxim 226.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“We promise according to our hopes; we fulfill according to our fears.”
Nous promettons selon nos espérances, et nous tenons selon nos craintes.
Maxim 38.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
L’extrême plaisir que nous prenons à parler de nous-mêmes nous doit faire craindre de n’en donner guere à ceux qui nous écoutent.
Translation by E.H. Blackmore et. al., in Collected Maxims and Other Reflections, de La Rochefoucauld, Oxford University Press (2008) : ISBN 019162313X
Maxim 314
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“There are few people who are more often wrong than those who cannot suffer being wrong.”
Il n'y a point de gens qui aient plus souvent tort que ceux qui ne peuvent souffrir d'en avoir.
Maxim 386.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“As we age, we become more foolish and wiser.”
En vieillissant on devient plus fou et plus sage.
Maxim 210.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“Our virtues are most frequently but vices in disguise.”
Nos vertus ne sont, le plus souvent, que de vices déguisés.
Epigraph. Note: "This epigraph, which is the key to the system of La Rochefoucauld, is found in another form as No. 179 of the Maxims of the first edition, 1665; it is omitted from the second and third, and reappears for the first time in the fourth edition at the head of the Reflections". Aime Martin, editor, Bartlett's Quotations, 1919 edition.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“Self-love is the greatest of all flatterers.”
L'amour-propre est le plus grand de tous les flatteurs.
Maxim 2.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“If we had no faults, we should not take so much pleasure in noting those of others.”
Si nous n'avions point de défauts, nous ne prendrions pas tant de plaisir à en remarquer dans les autres.
Maxim 31.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
