Francois de La Rochefoucauld Quotes
Truth does not do as much good in the world as its imitations do harm.
La Rochefoucauld, François duc de. Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims. Translated by J. W. Willis Bund and J. Hain Friswell, Sampson Low, Son, and Marston, 1871, p. 18.
See {115604} for a similar sentiment from England.
After the invasion, much of the intelligence upon which America relied on Invading Iraq turned out to be completely wrong. It turned out that the Vice President at least, a major supporter of the invasion, had a role in “shaping” the intelligence and analysis to achieve a policy objective.
One classic example was the fact that in 2012 about one third of Republicans believed that President Obama was a Muslim when he was a devout Christian. The infamous lie had 3 grains of truth: Obama’s father was a Muslim. his middle name was an Islamic name. and he had lived and gone to school as a young boy in Indonesia, the largest Islamic country.
The Presidential Campaigns of 2008 and 2012 shocked many Americans for the blatant lies that opponents of President Obama wrote and broadcast and then some of the retaliatory lies that Obama defenders responded with. However, this quotation from a 19th century political historian shows us that blatant lying in American politics is not at all new.
This sentiment was apparently first expressed by the English Calvinist Minister, Charles Spurgeon, 1834-1892.
François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac was a noted French moralist and author of maxims and memoirs. He is part of the literary movement of classicism and best known for his maxims. Although he only officially published his Memoirs and his Maxims, his literary production is dense.
