It is a great misfortune to be of use to nobody; scarcely less to be of use to everybody.

It requires as much to tell the truth as to conceal it.

Every fool stands convinced; and everyone convinced is a fool. The faultier a person's judgement the firmer their convictions.

Character and intelligence are the poles you talent spins on, displaying your gifts.

To overvalue something is a form of lying.

Possession hinders enjoyment. It merely gives you the right to keep things for or from others, and thus you gain more enemies than friends.

Friends provoked become the bitterest of enemies.