L'hypocrisie est un hommage que le vice rend à la vertu. — François de La Rochefoucauld | Printable Wall Art

“L'hypocrisie est un hommage que le vice rend à la vertu.”
“Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue.”

Words by François de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) — French moralist and writer of maxims.

About this quote

Even when people act corruptly or dishonestly, their attempt to hide bad behaviour proves that societal standards of goodness still matter. By pretending to be moral, bad actors implicitly acknowledge that virtue is desirable and superior. The maxim suggests that moral values hold such strong cultural power that even the dishonest feel compelled to pretend to follow them.

This line is Maxim 218 from François de La Rochefoucauld's Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales, first published in 1665. It represents seventeenth-century French aristocratic literature, known for its sharp, concise observations on human psychology and morality.

People often display this quote in a study or library to provoke thought on human nature and moral philosophy.

What you get

An instant digital download. Choose your design and size at checkout — 19 typographic designs and 8 print sizes are available for this quote.

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Designs available

Atelier Serif · Quiet Garamond · Studio Left · Gallery Rule · Midnight Serif · Editorial Left Serif · Modern Sans Calm · Letterpress Caps · Poster Condensed · Script Whisper · Manuscript Italic · Asymmetric Left · Minimal Unsigned · Charcoal Sans · Gallery Frame · Soft Serif Right · Statement Serif · Night Script · Tracked Caps Unsigned

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