French moralist and memoirist whose maxims question appearances and motives. Their pointed judgments are invitations to examine conduct, not proof that every generous act is false.
François de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680) was a French moralist and memoirist, as recorded by the national library. His concise observations direct attention to the distance between an action’s appearance and the motives that may support it. The archive retains its older Francis, Duc De La Rochefoucauld entity and spelling. A documented profile adds context to that destination without replacing its URLs or turning all anthology attributions into independently verified statements.
The linked 1871 translation by Willis Bund and Friswell puts numbered maxims beside editorial comparisons. Maxim 19 sharply observes how readily people bear another person’s troubles; maxim 13 considers the discomfort of having one’s tastes criticised. Read the author’s unit separately from bracketed commentary, then ask what situation would make the observation illuminating and what would make it unfair. A maxim’s force comes partly from compression, which can conceal exceptions and differences between people.
Begin with maxims 13 and 19 and their surrounding author units. The selected archive records retain the main numbered passages rather than importing the translators’ comparisons as La Rochefoucauld’s words. The 603 associated records span several historical collections; the checked biography and edition do not authenticate every attribution or merge other labels. Profile dates document a lifetime, while archive year coordinates keep their existing approximation and basis.
Subjects to explore
Editorial reading connections, distinct from the archive’s word matching.
Main maxims, complete printed maxim 13; J. W. Willis Bund and J. Hain Friswell translation; Simpson Low, Son, and Marston,188FleetStreet,1871 (printed imprint spelling retained)
Main maxims, complete printed maxim 19; J. W. Willis Bund and J. Hain Friswell translation; Simpson Low, Son, and Marston,188FleetStreet,1871 (printed imprint spelling retained)
Profile sources and editorial status
Original agent-assisted editorial profile, checked 2026-10-05. No human review is recorded. Life dates are recorded to the year; they do not date individual quotations.
Original limited factual paraphrase and documented lifetime. Modern biography text and images are not reproduced; no popularity claim. Reference checked 2026-10-05.
Existing source bytes checked against committed SHA256; historical passages read for original guidance. Translation wording and source status retained, without authenticating every anthology or contributor attribution. Reference checked 2026-10-05.