more on this theme | more from this text
Full Idea
If love be judged by its most visible effects it looks more like hatred than friendship.
Gist of Idea
Judging by effects, love looks more like hatred than friendship
Source
La Rochefoucauld (Maxims [1663], 072)
Book Ref
Rochefoucauld,La: 'Maxims' [Penguin 1959], p.44
A Reaction
Presumably he is thinking of pursuit, possession and jealousy. The remark is plausible if you add the word 'sometimes' to it, but as a universal generalisation it is ridiculous, the product of a society where they competed to exceed in cynicism.
| 7118 | La Rochefoucauld's idea of disguised self-love implies an unconscious mind [Rochefoucauld, by Sartre] |
| 7912 | Judging by effects, love looks more like hatred than friendship [Rochefoucauld] |
| 7913 | Virtue doesn't go far without the support of vanity [Rochefoucauld] |
| 7914 | To try to be wise all on one's own is folly [Rochefoucauld] |
| 7915 | Supreme cleverness is knowledge of the real value of things [Rochefoucauld] |
| 7916 | True friendship is even rarer than true love [Rochefoucauld] |
| 9299 | We are bored by people to whom we ourselves are boring [Rochefoucauld] |
| 7917 | Realising our future misery is a kind of happiness [Rochefoucauld] |