MAXIMS (from Latin maxima—“the main rule, principle”) are maxims and aphorisms in which a life principle is formulated or people’s character is described.
François de La Rochefoucauld is a French writer-moralist of the 17th century, a duke belonging to one of the most noble families in France. His life passed at the court of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. La Rochefoucauld was a confidant of Anne of Austria, took part in conspiracies against Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin, was imprisoned in the Bastille, and then exiled.
La Rochefoucauld’s global fame came from “Maxims”—refined and witty aphorisms, a kind of philosophical summing up of observations about human nature and character.
I present to the readers this depiction of the human heart, titled “Maxims and Moral Reflections.” It may not please everyone, because some may think it resembles the original too much and offers too little flattery.
François de La Rochefoucauld