True friendship destroys envy, and true love destroys coquetterie.

Gallantry of mind consists in saying flattering things in an agreeable manner.

The appearances of goodness and merit often meet with a greater reward from the world than goodness and merit themselves.

The constancy of the wise is only the talent of concealing the agitation of their hearts.

The height of ability consists in a thorough knowledge of the real value of things, and of the genius of the age in which we live.

We make promises to the extent that we hope-and keep them to the extent that we fear.

A lofty mind always thinks nobly, it easily creates vivid, agreeable, and natural fancies, places them in their best light, clothes them with all appropriate adornments, studies others' tastes, and clears away from its own thoughts all that is useless and disagreeable.