I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.

As men are not able to fight against death, misery, ignorance, they have taken it into their heads, in order to be happy, not to think of them at all.

Must we kill to prevent there being any wicked? This is to make both parties wicked instead of one.

We must keep our thought secret, and judge everything by it, while talking like the people.

The state of man is inconstancy, ennui, anxiety.

Force rules the world-not opinion; but it is opinion that makes use of force.

To be mistaken in believing that the Christian religion is true is no great loss to anyone; but how dreadful to be mistaken in believing it to be false!