François VI de la Rochefoucault

François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680), was a French nobleman and moralist best known for his *Maximes*. Born into the aristocracy, he became involved in the political upheavals of mid-17th-century France, notably the Fronde, and was wounded in battle. In later years he moved in influential Parisian literary circles and developed a reputation for sharp observation of human behavior. His *Maximes*, first published in 1665 and revised in subsequent editions, distill his reflections into brief, pointed aphorisms, often emphasizing self-interest and the hidden motives behind virtue. He remains a major figure in French moralist literature.