The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
He is not to pass for a man of reason who stumbles upon reason by chance but he who knows it and can judge it and has a true taste for it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True understanding and reason come from knowledge and discernment, not by mere chance.
This quote by Francois De La Rochefoucauld emphasizes that a person should not be considered wise simply because they occasionally arrive at reasonable conclusions by luck. Instead, wisdom and reason stem from one's ability to understand, evaluate, and appreciate them through knowledge and experience. It highlights the importance of conscious judgment and cultivated insight.
Themes
WisdomReasonKnowledgeUnderstandingJudgment
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of education and lifelong learning.
More from Francois De La Rochefoucauld
All quotes →Old men delight in giving good advice as a consolation for the fact that they can no longer set bad examples.
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Some counterfeits reproduce so very well the truth that it would be a flaw of judgment not to be deceived by them.
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Conceit causes more conversation than wit.
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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.
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To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
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