Excuse me, pray." Without that excuse I would not have known there was anything amiss.

The exterior must be joined to the interior to obtain anything from God, that is to say, we must kneel, pray with the lips, and soon, in order that proud man, who would not submit himself to God, may be now subject to the creature.

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.

Those who are accustomed to judge by feeling do not understand the process of reasoning, because they want to comprehend at a glance and are not used to seeking for first principles. Those, on the other hand, who are accustomed to reason from first principles do not understand matters of feeling at all, because they look for first principles and are unable to comprehend at a glance.

Men seek rest in a struggle against difficulties; and when they have conquered these, rest becomes insufferable.

Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.

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.