Often poetic, occasionally ironic, and frequently humorous, Maxims — first published in 1665 — can also be blunt and brutally candid: "Everyone blames his memory, no one his judgment." Bursting with philosophical musings that make for enlightened reading, this collection features more than 500 thought-provoking revelations.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking,
By wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
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This review is from: La Rochefoucauld Maxims (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) (Paperback)
Somewhat like Freud, La Rochefoucauld had an elevated view of his introspective objectivity. Also like Freud, he offers a number of ideas that provoke thought if only because they so loudly demand refutation. Between the pompous and the annoying, La Rochefoucauld offers quips and observations that would leave Ambrose Bierce quiet for at least a moment or two."It takes a better man to bear good luck than bad." Oh, how true - ease can be so much more seductively destructive than hardship, that defending against it takes more than many have. "Quarrels would be short lived, were all the wrong on one." He said all there is to say - bruised ego, face-saving, chest-thumping, and willful disregard for the other, and contention where there is no reason for it. La Rochefoucauld caught it all, and more, in one compact phrase. I blush in shame, even though I know that every thinking reader is doing the same. "A mind of mediocre attainments condemns everything beyond its scope." Oh, how true. How painfully true. This one has cost me more, and in more different ways, than I choose to tell the world. The devil of it is that the mediocre mind might never be able to perceive the damage it causes. "Virtue would be shorter lived, were vanity not its companion." Companion and sometimes conjoined twin, the balance of show and truth can never be known except in the first person, and not often then. "We should be more ashamed to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them." Deception hurts, as I know too well, but there's something about that bond that makes the risk worthwhile - and something very sad and lonely when distrust barricades some avenue that once carried deception into our sanctum. I know that sadness, too, and I can't say that I'm sure which is worse in every case. This belongs on any shelf that holds both the Devil's Dictionary and the Tao Te Ching - it combines some of the Lao Tse's clear-eyed view of when to struggle or submit with a sour mouthful of Bierce's cynical wit. I can offer you no finer enticement than La Rochefoulcald's own words. -- wiredweird
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A "Should-have",
By Meanne "Meanne" (San Diego) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: La Rochefoucauld Maxims (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) (Paperback)
I LOVE this little book which is SIZEABLE considering the depth of his "maxims." La Rochefoucauld is a very wise man, putting to paper concepts we should all be aware of when living life. A clever read that you will return to again and again!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
HANDY BOOK IN WISE MIND !,
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This review is from: La Rochefoucauld Maxims (Dover Books on Literature & Drama) (Paperback)
THIS IS A GREAT BOOK WITH NO EXPLANATIONS WASTED ON THE GREAT THOUGHTS AND PERCEPTIONS OF FRANCOIS LA ROCHEFOUCAULD. HE WAS SO CLEVER AT SEEING OUR TRUE NATURE HIDDEN WITHIN EVEN THE MOST SEEMINGLY ALTRUIST. EXAMPLE; "OUR VIRTUES ARE MOST FREQUENTLY BUT VICES IN DISGUISE." CAN YOU SEE HERE THE DEPTH OF HIS PERCEPTION? THIS IS SHOWING US THAT EVEN THE MOST HEROIC PERSON WHO WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS IS DOING IT ALL FOR A HIDDEN AGENDA. THEY DO IT BECAUSE THEY WANT SOMETHING FROM OTHERS. IT COULD BE A SUPPORT FOR A POLITICAL PERSONAL REASON LIKE A LARGER INCENTIVE, PERK OR PEOPLE DO GREAT THINGS OR GREAT WORKS IN THE ARTS NOT FOR THE SAKE OF CREATIVITY OR BECAUSE THEY FEEL IT, BUT MORE OFTEN THEY DO IT FOR THEIR EGO TO BE WELL KNOWN AND REMEMBERED THAT THEY HAVE MADE THEIR MARK.NOT EVERYONE ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS ARE LIKE THAT. BUT I BELIEVE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD WAS EXPRESSING MOST ARE OR MOST DO OFTEN HAVE A SELFISH REASON WITHIN THEMSELVES. SO NEVER LET SOMEONES VIRTUE FOOL YOU. WITH LA ROCHEFOUCAULD YOU SEE BEYOND THE WORDS AND BEHAVIORS OF HUMAN INTENTION WITH INCREDIBLE INSIGHT. VERY WORTHWHILE HAVING THIS LITTLE BOOK OF THIS GREAT OF MIND.
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