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Gratitude is a useless word. You will find it in a dictionary but not in life.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Gratitude may be recognized in theory but is often absent in practice.

This quote emphasizes the idea that while the concept of gratitude exists and is acknowledged in language, it is frequently overlooked or neglected in everyday life. The author suggests that simply knowing about gratitude is not enough; it must be genuinely practiced and felt to hold true significance.

Themes

GratitudeWisdomAppreciationLifePractice

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech on personal growth, one might quote this to highlight the importance of appreciating life's moments.

More from Francois De La Rochefoucauld

The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
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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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