Ce qui nous fait croire si facilement que les autres ont des défauts, c'est la facilité que l'on a de croire ce qu'on souhaite.
• Variant translation: What makes us believe so easily that others have faults is the ease with which we believe what we hope for." - Meaning and context.">
We are eager to believe that others are flawed because we are eager to believe in what we wish for.
 • Maxim 25 from the Manuscrit de Liancourt.
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Ce qui nous fait croire si facilement que les autres ont des défauts, c'est la facilité que l'on a de croire ce qu'on souhaite.
• Variant translation: What makes us believe so easily that others have faults is the ease with which we believe what we hope for.

— François de La Rochefoucauld

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Ce qui nous fait croire si facilement que les autres ont des défauts, c'est la facilité que l'on a de croire ce qu'on souhaite.
• Variant translation: What makes us believe so easily that others have faults is the ease with which we believe what we hope for." in the context of "We are eager to believe that others are flawed because we are eager to believe in what we wish for.
 • Maxim 25 from the Manuscrit de Liancourt." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "François de La Rochefoucauld" (Quotes, Later Additions to the Maxims) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
François de La Rochefoucauld

About François de La Rochefoucauld

François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld, le Prince de Marcillac (September 15 1613 – March 17 1680) was a noted French author of maxims and memoirs, as well as an example of the accomplished 17th-century nobleman.