The hunter for aphorisms on human nature has to fish in muddy water, and he is even condemned to find much of his own mind.
The force of the blow depends on the resistance. It is sometimes better not to struggle against temptation. Either fly or yield at once.
The one self- knowledge worth having is to know one's own mind.
But when one has ceased to have them, too often one cannot.
The deadliest foe to virtue would be complete self-knowledge.
The propriety of some persons seems to consist in having improper thoughts about their neighbors.