The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Every one speaks well of his own heart, but no one dares speak well of his own mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often boast about their feelings but hesitate to praise their thoughts.
This quote emphasizes the idea that while individuals are quick to express confidence in their emotions and intuitions, they are much more reluctant to do the same regarding their intellect and reasoning. This highlights a common human tendency to favor subjective experiences over critical thinking, suggesting that acknowledging one's mental capabilities can be more challenging than embracing one's emotional state.
Themes
HeartMindPhilosophyEmotionThought
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about emotional intelligence and its importance, one might reference this quote to illustrate the contrast between feelings and logic.
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
the very fact of the death of someone close to them aroused in all who heard about it, as always, a feeling of delight that he had died and they hadn't.
Leo TolstoyRead
The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention argues that no two countries that are both part of the same global supply chain will ever fight a war as long as they are each part of that supply chain.
Thomas FriedmanRead
What do babies dream of? She must be dreaming of the before-life, just as I dream of the afterlife.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
It strikes me as unfair, and even in bad taste, to select a few of them for boundless admiration, attributing superhuman powers of mind and character to them. This has been my fate, and the contrast between the popular estimate of my powers and achievements and the reality is simply grotesque.
Albert EinsteinRead
We speak not only to tell other people what we think, but to tell ourselves what we think. Speech is a part of thought.
Oliver SacksRead
Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim.
Bertrand RussellRead