What unhappy beings men are! They constantly waver between false hopes and silly fears, and instead of relying on reason they create monsters to frighten themselves with, and phantoms which lead them astray.

The incomparable stupidity of life teaches us to love our parents; divine philosophy teaches us to forgive them.

It is unreasonable ... to oblige a man not to attempt the defense of his own life.

To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.

Vanity is as advantageous to a government as pride is dangerous. To be convinced of this we need only represent, on the one hand,the numberless benefits which result from vanity, as industry, the arts, fashions, politeness, and taste; and on the other, the infinite evils which spring from the pride of certain nations, a laziness, poverty, a total neglect of everything.

The coffee is prepared in such a way that it makes those who drink it witty: at least there is not a single soul who, on quitting the house, does not believe himself four times wittier that when he entered it.

If you would be holy, instruct your children, because all the good acts they perform will be imputed to you.