The most effectual way to be deceived is to believe oneself more cunning than one's neighbors.

Penetration has an air of divination; it pleases our vanity more than any other quality of the mind.

Moderation is caused by the fear of exciting the envy and contempt which those merit who are intoxicated with their good fortune; it is a vain display of our strength of mind, and in short the moderation of men at their greatest height is only a desire to appear greater than their fortune.

A clever man should handle his interests so that each will fall in suitable order of their value.

There is at least as much eloquence in the voice, eyes, and air of a speaker as in his choice of words.

We are never so happy, nor so unhappy, as we suppose ourselves to be.

What often prevents our abandoning ourselves to a single vice is, our having more than one.