Nothing is rarer than true good nature; they who are reputed to have it are generally only pliant or weak.

The generality of friends puts us out of conceit with friendship; just as the generality of religious people puts us out of conceit with religion.

Our wisdom lies as much at the mercy of fortune as our possessions do.

Death and the sun are not to be looked at steadily.

We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones.

Great and glorious events which dazzle the beholder are represented by politicians as the outcome of grand designs whereas they are usually products of temperaments and passions.

We sometimes imagine we hate flattery, but we only hate the way we are flattered.