Skip to content

It is easier to know man in general than to know one man.

— François de La Rochefoucauld Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665)

Il est plus aisé de connaître l'homme en général que de connaître un homme en particulier.

Original text (French)

Another quote →

Variants

It is much easier to know men generally, than to know a particular man.

More quotes by François de La Rochefoucauld

To succeed in the world we do everything we can to appear successful already.

Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665)

We hardly find any persons of good sense save those who agree with us.

Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665)

We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others.

Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665)

One must listen if one wishes to be listened to.

Truth does not do so much good in the world, as the appearance of it does evil.

All François de La Rochefoucauld quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: François de La Rochefoucauld (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.