That man, we may be sure, is a person of true worth, whom those who envy him most are yet forced to praise.

Death, like the sun, cannot be looked at steadily.

Pride does not wish to owe and vanity does not wish to pay.

Those who give too much attention to trifling things become generally incapable of great ones.

Men's happiness and misery depends altogether as much upon their own humor as it does upon fortune.

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

We label judges with having the meanest motives, and yet we desire that our reputation and fame should depend upon the judgment of men, who are all, either from their jealousy or preoccupation or want of intelligence, opposed to us - and yet despite their bias, just for the sake of making these men decide in our favor, we peril in so many ways both our peace and our life.