They who love to inform themselves, are never idle. Though I have no business of consequence to take care of, I am nevertheless continually employed. I spend my life in examining things: I write down in the evening whatever I have remarked, what I have seen, and what I have heard in the day: every thing engages my attention, and every thing excites my wonder: I am like an infant, whose organs, as yet tender, are strongly affected by the slightest objects.

It is not the young people that degenerate; they are not spoiled till those of mature age are already sunk into corruption.

Christianity stamped its character on jurisprudence; for empire has ever a connection with the priesthood.

Oh, how empty is praise when it reflects back to its origin!

Fain would I glide down a gentle river, but I am carried away by a torrent.

They who assert that a blind fatality produced the various effects we behold in this world talk very absurdly; for can anything be more unreasonable than to pretend that a blind fatality could be productive of intelligent beings.

If we only wanted to be happy, it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, and that is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.