The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
In most of mankind gratitude is merely a secret hope of further favors.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Gratitude can often be insincere, driven by a desire for future benefits.
This quote by Francois De La Rochefoucauld highlights the complex nature of gratitude in human relationships. It suggests that for many people, expressions of thankfulness may not come from genuine appreciation, but rather from a strategic mindset aimed at securing future favors or advantages. This observation prompts a reflection on the authenticity of our interactions and the motivations behind our expressions of gratitude.
Themes
GratitudeFavorRelationshipsAuthenticityHuman Nature
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of relationships, one might use this quote to illustrate how gratitude can sometimes be transactional.
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
Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are in my opinion more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. Freedom of speech, freedom of religious thought, and the right to due process for composers, performers and retailers are imperiled if the PMRC and the major labels consummate this nasty bargain.
Frank ZappaRead
We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Sahara.
Richard DawkinsRead
In its revolt against congestion and sordor, a space-hungry generation has, I fear, developed eyes that are bigger than its stomach.
Lewis MumfordRead
Utopias and dystopias can exist side by side, even in the same moment. Which one you're in depends entirely on your point of view.
Naomi AldermanRead
Proportion thy charity to the strength of thine estate, lest God proportion thine estate to the weakness of thy charity. Let the lips of the poor be the trumpet of thy gift, lest in seeking applause, thou lose thy reward. Nothing is more pleasing to God than an open hand and a closed mouth.
Francis QuarlesRead
War is mainly a catalogue of blunders.
Winston ChurchillRead