La Rochefoucauld §laroch_198: We exaggerate the glory of some men to detract from that of others, and we sh...

We exaggerate the glory of some men to detract from that of others, and we should praise Prince Conde and Marshal Turenne much less if we did not want to blame them both. [The allusion to Conde and Turenne gives the date at which these maxims were published in 1665. Conde and Turenne were after their campaign with the Imperialists at the height of their fame. It proves the truth of the remark of Tacitus, "Populus neminem sine aemulo sinit."-- Tac. Ann. xiv.]