The dog is a religious animal. In his savage state he worships the moon and the lights that float upon the waters. These are his gods to whom he appeals at night with long-drawn howls.

The heart errs like the head; its errors are not any the less fatal, and we have more trouble getting free of them because of their sweetness.

That man is prudent who neither hopes nor fears anything from the uncertain events of the future.

The faculty of doubting is rare among men. A few choice spirits carry the germs of it in them, but these do not develop without training.

It is almost impossible systematically to constitute a natural moral law. Nature has no principles. She furnishes us with no reason to believe that human life is to be respected. Nature, in her indifference, makes no distinction between good and evil.

It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.

An old philosopher said to Monsieur Coignard, a Reverend Father: 'You are a pig!' To which Abad Coignard answered: 'You flatter me, sir. But unfortunately, I'm only a man.'