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Passion makes idiots of the cleverest men, and makes the biggest idiots clever.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Passion can cloud judgment, making intelligent people act foolishly, while it can also empower less clever individuals.

This quote by Francois De La Rochefoucauld highlights the paradoxical nature of passion, suggesting that it can lead even the most intelligent individuals to make irrational decisions, while simultaneously enabling those with less intelligence to achieve unexpected success. It reflects on the idea that strong emotions can disrupt logic and rational thinking, demonstrating how deeply personal motivations can influence behavior in both positive and negative ways.

Themes

PassionJudgmentIntelligenceEmotionFoolishness

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech about the importance of following your passion, this quote could be used to illustrate the dual nature of strong emotions.

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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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