The greatest secret of monarchic rule...is to keep men deceived and to cloak in the specious name of religion the fear by which they must be checked, so that they will fight for slavery as they would for salvation, and will think it not shameful, but a most honorable achievement, to give their life and blood that one man may have a ground for boasting.

Peace is not the absence of war, but a virtue based on strength of character.

The greatest pride, or the greatest despondency, is the greatest ignorance of one's self.

Surely human affairs would be far happier if the power in men to be silent were the same as that to speak. But experience more than sufficiently teaches that men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues.

Philosophy has no end in view save truth; faith looks for nothing but obedience and piety.

We can always get along better by reason and love of truth than by worry of conscience and remorse...we should strive to keep worry from our life.

He who wishes to revenge injuries by reciprocal hatred will live in misery. But he who endeavors to drive away hatred by means of love, fights with pleasure and confidence; he resists equally one or many men, and scarcely needs at all the help of fortune. Those whom he conquers yield joyfully