There is a form of eminence which does not depend on fate; it is an air which sets us apart and seems to prtend great things; it is the value which we unconsciously attach to ourselves; it is the quality which wins us deference of others; more than birth, position, or ability, it gives us ascendance.

It seems that nature, which has so wisely disposed our bodily organs with a view to our happiness, has also bestowed on us pride, to spare us the pain of being aware of our imperfections.

He that would be a great man must learn to turn every accident to some advantage.

Too great cleverness is but deceptive delicacy, true delicacy is the most substantial cleverness.

A readiness to believe ill of others, before we have duly examined it, is the effect of laziness and pride. We are eager to find aculprit, and loath to give ourselves the trouble of examining the crime.

Funeral pomp is more for the vanity of the living than for the honor of the dead.

The violence we do to ourselves in order to remain faithful to the one we love is hardly better than an act of infidelity.