The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.
Interpretation
We often hide our true selves from others, leading to a loss of self-awareness.
This quote by Francois De La Rochefoucauld suggests that in our attempts to present ourselves in a certain way to others, we may lose touch with our authentic selves. The constant adaptation and disguise we wear can make us forget who we really are, ultimately leading to a disconnection between our identity and our external persona.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of authenticity in personal development.
The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples.
Some counterfeits reproduce so very well the truth that it would be a flaw of judgment not to be deceived by them.
Conceit causes more conversation than wit.
The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again.
To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
My biggest faults is that the faults I was born with grow bigger each year. It's like I was raising chickens inside me. The chickens lay eggs and the eggs hatch into other chickens, which then lay eggs. Is this any way to live a life? What with all these faults I've got going, I have to wonder. Sure, I get by. But in the end, that's not the question, is it?
I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that not as an aliment, so much as a condiment for the vegetables, which constitute my principal diet.
Hope is the only good that is common to all men; those who have nothing else possess hope still.
Nobody is a villain in their own story. We're all the heroes of our own stories.
We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God's holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it. He may fear God's power and admire His wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine.
Guns go home with the soldiers, but landmines are designed to kill - mindlessly, out of control, for years.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.