The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
There are few virtuous women who are not bored with their trade.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that many virtuous women face a sense of boredom in their roles or responsibilities.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld's quote reflects on the nature of virtue and the challenges that come with it. It implies that even women who are virtuous and adhere to moral standards may find their lives unfulfilling or monotonous due to societal expectations. This observation highlights how virtue can sometimes be accompanied by a lack of excitement or enthusiasm in daily life, suggesting that the expectations placed upon women can lead to feelings of ennui or discontent.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a women's empowerment event might use this quote to illustrate the challenges women face.
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.
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.
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One swallow alone does not make a summer.
Whoever comes to me finds me a mirror to whatever is in his heart. Thus, I try to help him to see qualities in himself that he needs to overcome.
They lie deadly that tell you have good faces.
A man without ambition is dead. A man with ambition but no love is dead. A man with ambition and love for his blessings here on earth is ever so alive.