The glory of great men must always be measured against the means they have used to acquire it.
François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Maxims], #157 (1665-1678) [tr. Tancock (1959)]
Alt. trans.:
- "The fame of great men ought to be judged always by the means they used to acquire it."
- "The glory of a great man ought always to be estimated by the means used to acquire it."