The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
He who imagines he can do without the world deceives himself much; but he who fancies the world cannot do without him is still more mistaken.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals and the world, suggesting that neither can exist independently of the other.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld's quote reflects on the mutual dependency between individuals and the broader world. It points out that those who believe they can isolate themselves from societal influences are fooling themselves, while those who underestimate their significance in the world are equally mistaken. This highlights the importance of recognizing the relationship between self and society, underscoring that each person plays a crucial role in shaping the world as much as the world influences the individual.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social responsibility, you might use this quote to illustrate the importance of community.
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.
Some counterfeits reproduce so very well the truth that it would be a flaw of judgment not to be deceived by them.
Conceit causes more conversation than wit.
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.
To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
Similar quotes
Ask yourself these two questions: Do I remember at every moment that I am dying, and that everyone and everything else is, and so treat all beings at all times with compassion? Has my understanding of death and impermanence become so keen and so urgent that I am devoting every second to the pursuit of enlightenment? If you can answer "yes" to both of these, then you really understand impermanence.
[W]hen the empirical investigator glories in his refusal to go beyond the specialized observation dictated by the traditions of his discipline, be they ever so inclusive, he is making a virtue out of a defense mechanism which insures him against questioning his presuppositions.
I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air -- or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be. Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.
The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.
The visible is always a mirror of the invisible. The reality is imagined before it manifests itself.
The world is full of people who are determined to be somebody or to give trouble. They want to get ahead, to stand out. Such ambition has no use for a gung fu man, who rejects all forms of self-assertiveness and competition