...be more guided by hope than fear.

The affairs of this world are so shifting and depend on so many accidents, that it is hard to form any judgment concerning the future; nay, we see from experience that the forecasts even of the wise almost always turn out false.

Ambassadors are the eye and ear of states.

By numberless examples it will evidently appear that human affairs are as subject to change and fluctuation as the waters of the sea agitated by the winds.

He is less likely to be mistaken who looks forward to a change in the affairs of the world than he who regards them as firm and stable.

It is a great matter to be in authority over others; for authority, if it be rightly used, will make you feared beyond your actual resources.

We fight to great disadvantage when we fight with those who have nothing to lose.