Ce n'est pas un grand malheur d'obliger des ingrats, mais c'en est un insupportable d'etre oblige a un malhonnete homme.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Helping ungrateful people is acceptable, but being forced to help a dishonest man is unbearable.
- In plain terms
- It is tolerable to aid those who do not thank you, but intolerable to be compelled to assist a corrupt person.
- What can you take from it?
- Choose who you are obligated to help carefully.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did you feel compelled to help someone unethical?
Another view
Sometimes we cannot easily distinguish a dishonest man from a merely ungrateful one.
More from Francois de La Rochefoucauld
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