Would you be esteemed? Live with persons that are estimable.

Simplicity is oftenest an adroit pretence.

The first rule for speaking well is to think well.

We can easily forgive want of means; but littleness, with means, is disgusting.

We live with our defects as with the odors we carry about us: we do not perceive them, but they incommode those who approach us.

The love of esteem is the life and soul of society; it unites us to one another: I want your approbation, you stand in need of mine. By forsaking the converse of men, we forsake the virtues necessary for society; for when one is alone, one is apt to grow negligent; the world forces you to have a guard over yourself.

We like to know the weakness of eminent persons; it consoles us for our inferiority.