Man is obviously made for thinking. Therein lies all his dignity and his merit; and his whole duty is to think as he ought.

Undoubtedly equality of goods is just; but, being unable to cause might to obey justice, men has made it just to obey might. Unable to strengthen justice, they have justified might--so that the just and the strong should unite, and there should be peace, which is the sovereign good.

Thinking too little about things or thinking too much both make us obstinate and fanatical.

Reason is the slow and torturous method by which those who do not know the truth discover it

All human evil comes from a single cause, man's inability to sit still in a room.

Human life is thus only an endless illusion. Men deceive and flatter each other. No one speaks of us in our presence as he does when we are gone. Society is based on mutual hypocrisy.

Since we cannot be universal and know all that is to be known of everything, we ought to know a little about everything. For it is far better to know something about everything than to know all about one thing. This universality is the best. If we can have both, still better; but if we must choose, we ought to choose the former.