Francois de La Rochefoucauld on Currency of Flattery
on Tuesday, March 25, 2014Francois de La Rochefoucauld Money Quotation saying we invest flattering words in our own vanity by inflating the value of that petty coin. Francois de La Rochefoucauld said:
“Flattery is a kind of bad money, to which our vanity gives us currency” — Francois de La Rochefoucauld
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This quote from Francois de La Rochefoucauld suggests that flattery functions similarly to counterfeit money – it has value not due to any intrinsic qualities, but because people’s vanity and ego choose to accept and believe its worth.
The best interpretation is that La Rochefoucauld viewed flattery as empty or insincere praise that holds influence over others not because it is honest or deserved, but because it feeds the human tendency towards self-importance and inflated self-image.
According to La Rochefoucauld, just as counterfeit bills are given value through general acceptance despite being worthless, flattery is “currency” that our vanity assigns value to despite conveying no real merit.
The implication is that we should be wary of accepting flattery at face value due to its potential for manipulation.
Birthday: September 15, 1613 – Death: March 17, 1680