“In all professions each affects a look and an exterior to appear what he wishes the world to believe that he is. Thus we may say that the whole world is made up of appearances.”

French aristocrat and 17th-century writer. His *Maxims* dissect human nature with razor-sharp wit, exposing contradictions in pride, love, and ambition. Often called the father of modern moral aphorisms, his work remains a timeless lens on vanity and self-interest.