Faith indeed tells what the senses do not tell, but not the contrary of what they see. It is above them and not contrary to them.

Christian piety annihilates the egoism of the heart; worldly politeness veils and represses it.

We are not satisfied with real life; we want to live some imaginary life in the eyes of other people and to seem different from what we actually are.

We never do evil so effectually as when we are led to do it by a false principle of conscience.

There are plenty of maxims in the world; all that remains is to apply them.

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.

All err the more dangerously because each follows a truth. Their mistake lies not in following a falsehood but in not following another truth.