The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
The principal point of cleverness is to know how to value things just as they deserve.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Cleverness involves understanding and appreciating the true worth of things.
This quote by Francois De La Rochefoucauld emphasizes that true cleverness lies not in mere intelligence or wit, but in the ability to recognize and assign proper value to things in life. It suggests that a wise person is someone who can see beyond surface appearances and understand the intrinsic worth of people, experiences, and objects, thus making more informed decisions and judgments.
Themes
ClevernessValueWisdomAppreciationJudgment
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about recognizing personal value in one's work.
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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