“Virtues are lost in self-interest as rivers are lost in the sea.”François de La Rochefoucauld · Maxime · 1665 · Maxima 2
Virtue is not lost through one betrayal, but dissolves into small, each justifiable compromises.
The comparison is precise: the river does not fight the sea, it simply loses its outline in it; the water is still water, but no longer a river. Likewise, a person does not betray virtue in one spectacular act, but through small alignments with self-interest, each one defensible. Generosity, courage, and honesty dilute gradually. An employee who stayed silent about an injustice because he needed the promotion did not change in a day, but through many small compromises.
Why it matters The maxim is a tool for self-audit: ask where your virtue flowed into self-interest. In a culture of justified compromises, it names the process exactly.