The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
To know how to hide one's ability is great skill.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Being able to conceal your talents strategically is a valuable skill.
This quote emphasizes the importance of humility and discretion in one's abilities. It suggests that there is strength in knowing when to reveal or withhold one's skills, as this can lead to a greater advantage in social and professional situations.
Themes
AbilitySkillHumilityDiscretionWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire someone to consider their approach during job interviews.
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.
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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.
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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It is better to be wise, and not to seem so, than to seem wise, and not be so; yet men, for the most part, desire the contrary.
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The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead