Maxims from a cynic mind...

François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld, le Prince de Marcillac was a 17th century noted French author and an accomplished nobleman. He was the writer of memoirs and maxims the latter of which has stained his name forever with a reputation of cynicism, bitterness and unscrupulousness. Was La Rochefoucauld (R) any of these? Perhaps all of the above. I maintain though that R was a product of his times and life, a life that left him feeling indeed hurt, disappointed and betrayed (romantically).
Here are some of his maxims that may contain great cynicism but even greater insight in the human soul. (Numbers refer to the Penguin Classics, 1982 edition).

14. "Not only men tend to forget kindness, but the even hate those who have done them kindness".
229. "We have to accept respectfully the harm done us by a person whose benefactions we have enjoyed".
299. "Almost everybody enjoys repaying small obligations, many are grateful for middling ones, but there is scarcely a soul who is not ungrateful for big ones".

Here R notices something that we very often find in Friedrich Nietzsche's (FWN) books too: Kindness puts people gravely in dept and human from their nature are uncomfortable when in dept. There is a sense of lack of power to the person who has been benefited by someone else. What we often call generosity, and admire, is usually a natural drive for display of power by the giver and not necessarily a genuine hand of help to the receiver.

"It is less shameful to be deceived by friends than to be suspicious of them".

This is certainly a Platonic (Socratic) and Stoic sentiment. Since the wrong doer can only harm himself and never the target of his action, it is better to be fooled by friends since it would be shameful to suspect one's friends.

237. "Nobody deserves to be praised for goodness unless he is strong enough to be bad..."
308. "Moderation has been declared a virtue so as to curb the ambition of the great and console lesser folk for their lack of fortune and merit".

Another concept we encounter in FWN's books, especially 'Thus spoke Zarathustra' and 'Beyond Good and Evil'. FWN says that he only respects those who have the power to do evil and chose not too. He contrasts early Christians who didn't have this power, thus were 'good' by need.

157. "The glory of men must always be measured against the means they have used to acquire it".

162. " To know how to put modest talents to the best use is an art that commands admiration, and often wins a wider reputation that real worth".

329. "Sometimes we think we dislike flattery, but it is the way it is done we dislike".

409. "We should often blush at our noblest deeds if the world were to see all their underlying motives".

But is it the motive, or the result of our actions that should determine if we are to be praised, or blamed?

505. " God has put different kinds of talent in man, as he has planted different kinds of trees in nature... Thus the finest pear tree in the world could not bear the commonest apples...".

543. "Before strongly desiring anything we should look carefully into the happiness of its present owner".



John