Ebook Maxims (Penguin Classics)

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Maxims (Penguin Classics)

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About the Author

La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) was a French classical author who was one of the most active rebels of the Fronde before becoming the leading proponent of the maxime, a French literary form of epigram that expresses severe or contradictory facts with brevity. La Rochefoucauld published only two works, the Mémoires and the Maximes. Additionally, about 150 letters have been collected with 19 shorter pieces, now known as Réflexions diverses.Leonard Tancock (1902–1986) was an eminent translator of French and a renowned scholar. He taught French at University College London and is best known for his translation of classic French literature, including works by Émile Zola, Voltaire, and Guy de Maupassant.

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Product details

Series: Penguin Classics

Paperback: 128 pages

Publisher: Penguin Classics; First Thus edition (January 28, 1982)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780140440959

ISBN-13: 978-0140440959

ASIN: 014044095X

Product Dimensions:

5 x 0.3 x 7.8 inches

Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

4.2 out of 5 stars

26 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#99,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

“The steadfastness of the wise is but the art of keeping their agitation locked in their hearts.” (I’ll put in some more of my favorite quotes after each paragraph I write)François Duc De La Rochefoucauld was a French philosopher who lived 1613-80. This work, known widely as simply the Maxims, was his greatest accomplishment, and one of the defining works characterizing the thought of the French people as a whole during the latter 17th century. It’s certainly not what we are used to from philosophy, neither structured logical deductions, nor rigorous narrative. Rather, the Maxims is just what its name implies, full of mostly single sentence maxims, about 504 of which were published during his lifetime and another 136 only appearing posthumously. Do not be deceived by the simple nature of mere sentences though. La Rouchefoucauld published these individual insights into human nature as his entire life’s work.“Desire to appear clever often prevents our becoming so.”Written with only a loose organization, each individual maxim truly can stand alone as a single thought without much connection to its surroundings. They are mostly his philosophy of human nature written out of careful observations throughout his life. While alive, he was at times celebrated, others destitute, some famous, yet even more circumstances left him brokenhearted. However, his life was not so much different from a normal one like ours. What marks La Rochefoucauld out is his capacity for introspection and keen observation which penetrated the surface appearances as a type of x-ray into the heart of the human person.“Nobody deserves to be praised for goodness unless he is strong enough to be bad, for any other goodness is usually merely inertia or lack of will power.”This is, by all definitions, an absolutely terrifying read. As I made my way through, I had to keep a pencil nearby to star all of the maxims that were particularly insightful for me. I cannot say that I have read any other book, besides perhaps Albert Camus’ The Stranger (Link to my review), that I felt got behind my skin and into the secrets of my heart. As a Christian, this work was an examination of our common tendency towards self-righteousness, as well as a warning against thinking too highly of our own potential, individual or collective apart from God’s help.“We own up to minor failings, but only so as to convince others that we have no major ones.”La Rouchefoucauld was especially talented at exposing the reasons why people often act virtuously. Though certainly not a brute fact, we often seem to have reasons for being good other than our supposed virtuous character or good intentions. Many times we are doing it for ourselves, whether it is to be praised, to initiate a social obligation (aka a favor) to be redeemed in the future to the one we help, or just merely to give the appearance of being a great person.“We give help to others so that they have to do the same for us on similar occasions, and these kindnesses we do them are, to put it plainly, gifts we bestow on ourselves in advance.”His analysis spread across the vast range of human life, from the young to the old, rich and the poor, as well as to men and women. His eye seemed to catch even the smallest instances of hypocrisy that presented themselves under the guise of strength. Pure chance or luck was often the explanation he used to explain most characteristics. This is not a cop-out from true explanation though as if he were somehow upset that he was not a good person and therefore took this frustration out on others. La Rouchefoucauld really believed that our fortune or misfortune as young people contributed greatly to our future attitudes and morals.“Our wisdom is just as much at the mercy of chance as our property.”As a Christian struggling with notions of God’s providence, I found these maxims particularly illuminating to our situation. Bad events seem to strike at the most inopportune times, right when our path should have turned for the better. However, once we reach the other end of the tunnel, we think we have learned a lesson, only to make the same mistake once more.“Old people are fond of giving good advice; it consoles them for no longer being capable of setting a bad example.”Perhaps most significantly, La Rouchefoucauld spoke out against personal self-righteousness in moral matters. When we try to portray ourselves as having overcome huge obstacles, the stakes weren’t as high as we might try to tell ourselves. When we introduce ourselves to others, we try to appear as good as possible and ignore all of our moments of vice. When we do a good act, we try to make it seem like it came out of our virtuous character rather than appearing out of habit or the desire to look good oneself.“The man who thinks he loves a woman for her own sake is very much mistaken.”He thought our acts of goodness accompanied with pure intentions were much more rare than we would like to think, or than we would proclaim to others. We say our own good character and free will were behind all the good deeds we do.“When we resist our passions it is more on account of their weakness than our strength.”As a work, the Maxims should definitely be read by anyone who wants to think through the human condition with the aide of one of the foremost philosophers in our history. It is an extremely quick read, but should not be read too quickly. The maxims are designed to be pondered. Even so, La Rouchefoucauld wrote short purposefully, so that the reader’s attention would not wane during the most important insights he provides. Each sentence could be read in a mere 3-4 seconds, yet the impact of the Maxims endures through our days as we are both captivated by and distraught by La Rochefoucauld’s pessimistic insights into our shared nature.“To refuse to accept praise is to want to be praised twice over.”Reading this has made me understand just how important Christ’s example of self-sacrifice was. Christ’s death on the cross was truly, “for us.” God, complete in Godself for all eternity, not needing anything from anyone else, self-sufficient in every way, chose to create for our sake. Not only that, but, in response to our sin, chooses to love us and redeem us.“There are various forms of curiosity: one, based on self-interest, makes us want to learn what may be useful, another, based on pride, comes from a desire to know what others don’t.”Knowing that we often exhibit the condition La Rochefoucauld observed (though knowing it long before 1680 when it was published!), God still comes to be with us in the Holy Spirit to effect genuine love of the other. The Golden Rule is not merely a way to establish society in reciprocal good deeds (I’ll do good to you so you do good to me), but is rather the capacity for true love of our neighbor that God desires from all of us. Likewise, though reward is an element of our relationship with God, our love for God should always move far beyond merely what God can do for us. In response to the Maxims, we should hope for a much greater ability to help others out of pure motives, and to practice self-sacrifice in love.“We have more strength than will-power, and when we imagine things are impossible we are trying to make excuses to ourselves.”“We are never as fortunate or as unfortunate as we suppose.”“Our promises are made in proportion to our hopes, but kept in proportion to our fears.”

This tranalation lacks the elegance and wit of the Kronenberger translation. To enjoy the Duc's observations, look for a copy of that version, published by Random House in 1959.#9, for instance, in Kronenberger is "The passions are so selfish and unjust that, even when they seem most reasonable, to indulge them is a danger, to defy them a duty." This edition renders the maxim in a much more pedestrian way: "Our passions are so governed by injustice and self-interest that they are dangerous guides, suspect them most when they appear most logical."I am not convinced that fundamental passions are govened by intellect, logic or reason.

Rich with aphorisms that ring true today. A treasure.For example, "212. Folly pursues us throughout our lives, and the man whom we call wise is he whose follies are proportionate to his age and to his fortune."This Kindle version is not perfect, but the text at least is properly typed. Having this in electronic format is great for quick reads and for highlighting favorites, which Kindle also conveniently allows you to post to FB.

So insightful and snarky. Le Duc de La Rochefoucauld was definitely a man ahead of his time. His observations and comments on society are still applicable in many ways. Were he around today he would likely have his own talk show. A great read for someone who loves philosophy without the attached pretension.

La Rochefoucauld has a reputation as a cynic, but being called cynical can be an occupational hazard for truth tellers, . Many of his sayings are quite breathtaking to this lover of truth. Highly recommended. This is a well-translated edition.

His Maxims are perfect in describing human nature in only a few sentences. Even though that he wrote these maxims a long time ago they are still relevant today because human nature, love and other things that he talks about hasn't changed from when he wrote these maxims to today. There is a lot that people can learn by reading this book. I would recommend anyone to buy this book because it is a great book.

This is a book of short sayings, each of which represents the author's point of view on life. He's supremely cynical. His statements still ring remarkably true today. They comprise a whole philosophy of life. Everyone who spends any time considering the various facets of human nature and human behavior should read this book! I particularly like this translation.

For anyone who has questioned the motives of others or of himself or for the person who wishes to deal truly with his own passions, this is a great read. Written in small snippets of knowledge, La Rochefoucauld systematically redefines all virtues in terms of the vices behind them or simply in terms of self interest. How true this all rings!

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