Most of man's trouble comes from his inability to be still.

Do they think that they have given us great pleasure by telling us that they hold our soul to be no more than wind or smoke, and saying it moreover in tones of pride and satisfaction? Is this then something to be said gaily? Is it not on the contrary something to be said sadly, as being the saddest thing in the world?

We only consult the ear because the heart is wanting.

Let man then contemplate nature in full and lofty majesty, and turn his eyes away from the mean objects which surround him. Let him look at the dazzling light hung aloft as an eternal lamp to lighten the universe; let him behold the earth, a mere dot compared with the vast circuit which that orb describes, and stand amazed to find that the vast circuit itself is but a very fine point compared with the orbit traced by the starts as they roll their course on high.

If you want others to have a good opinion of you, say nothing.

Our natures lie in motion, without which we die.

The last advance of reason is to recognize that it is surpassed by innumerable things; it is feeble if it cannot realize that.