If I had more time I would write a shorter letter.
[On vanity:] The nose of Cleopatra: if it had been shorter, the face of the earth would have changed.
Perfect clarity would profit the intellect but damage the will.
The two principles of truth, reason and senses, are not only both not genuine, but are engaged in mutual deception. The senses deceive reason through false appearances, and the senses are disturbed by passions, which produce false impressions.
Flies are so mighty that they win battles, paralyse our minds, eat up our bodies.
Curiosity is only vanity. We usually only want to know something so that we can talk about it.