The most subtle of our acts is to simulate blindness for snares that we know are set for us.

Even the most disinterested love is, after all, but a kind of bargain, in which self-love always proposes to be the gainer one wayor another.

Love of fame, fear of disgrace, schemes for advancement, desire to make life comfortable and pleasant, and the urge to humiliate others are often at the root of the valour men hold in such high esteem.

The only thing constant in life is change

The violence done us by others is often less painful than that which we do to ourselves.

Hope and fear are inseparable.

Sometimes we think we dislike flattery, but it is only the way it is done that we dislike.