Reflections, or Moral Opinions and Maxims

The Reflections, or Moral Opinions & Maxims of La Rochefoucauld are one of the great hoards of wisdom in world literature. Witty, rueful, scathing, and (above all) unflinching in his search for the motives of human conduct, the Duke put everything he knew about the ways of the world into this book. The need for love, the fear of death, the lure of glory, and the inescapable power of self-regard are his favourite subjects, and soon the reader's too. This elegant, highly readable edition features a new translation by Jack Mitchell with facing French text, and includes the Duke's longer essays, biographical writings, and self-portrait.