The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
A great many men's gratitude is nothing but a secret desire to hook in more valuable kindnesses hereafter.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often show gratitude with ulterior motives, hoping to receive more favors in the future.
This quote suggests that many expressions of gratitude are not entirely sincere; instead, they may be driven by a self-serving agenda where individuals seek to benefit from future acts of kindness. It highlights the complex nature of human relationships, where the motivations behind our actions can be masked by the facade of appreciation.
Themes
GratitudeKindnessRelationshipsSelfishnessMotivation
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about volunteering, one might use this quote to provoke thought about the true nature of giving and gratitude.
More from Francois De La Rochefoucauld
All quotes βOld men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Some counterfeits reproduce so very well the truth that it would be a flaw of judgment not to be deceived by them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Conceit causes more conversation than wit.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
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.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Similar quotes
Companies in the East put a lot more emphasis on human relationships, while those from the West focus on the product, the bottom line. Westerners appear to have more of a need for achievement, while in the East there's more need for affiliation.
Daniel GolemanRead
Turn around, and the people you thought you knew might change. Your little boy might now live half a world away. Your beautiful daughter might be sneaking out at night. Your ex-husband might by dying by degrees. This is the reason that dancers learn, early on, how to spot while doing pirouettes: we all want to be able to find the place where we started.
Jodi PicoultRead
...Nothing that your partner does is personal. Your partner is dealing with her own garbage. If you don't take it personally, it will be so easy for you to have a wonderful relationship with your partner
Miguel Angel RuizRead
Everybody has the right to marry the person they love and be represented as a couple and family... It's something that people will look back on in years to come and say, 'I can't believe it took so long for us to recognize this.' It'll be like segregation and giving women the right to vote.
Julianne MooreRead
Violence against women is fundamentally about power.
Antonio GuterresRead
When I ask OGs why there's so much division in the streets, nobody never really knows. But you know one thing that everybody always mention? A woman.
Kendrick LamarRead