The violence we do to ourselves in order to remain faithful to the one we love is hardly better than an act of infidelity.

The remark suggests that fidelity can become morally compromised when it is maintained through self-coercion—through suppressing one’s feelings, desires, or integrity in ways that amount to self-harm. Rochefoucauld’s point is not to excuse infidelity, but to question a notion of “faithfulness” that is merely external compliance rather than an honest alignment of will and affection. If remaining loyal requires a kind of inner violence—denial, resentment, or self-betrayal—then the relationship’s ethical core is already damaged. The aphorism fits his broader skepticism about virtue as often being a mask for vanity, fear, or social pressure rather than genuine moral strength.