The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Old people love to give good advice; it compensates them for their inability to set a bad example.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Older individuals often offer valuable advice, which balances their shortcomings.
This quote suggests that as people age, they tend to possess wisdom gained from life experiences, prompting them to share advice with others. However, it also implies that they may not always live up to the standards they recommend, using their advice as a means to compensate for their failure to exemplify that guidance in their own lives.
Themes
AdviceWisdomAgeExperienceLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of listening to elders during a community meeting.
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
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