Men are inconsolable concerning the treachery of their friends or the deceptions of their enemies; and yet they are often very highly satisfied to be both deceived and betrayed by their own selves.

The health of the soul is something we can be no more sure of than that of the body; and though a man may seem far from the passions, yet he is in as much danger of falling into them as one in a perfect state of health of having a fit of sickness.

A man, in order to establish himself in the world, does everything he can to appear established there.

Not all those who know their minds know their hearts as well.

Vanity, shame, and above all disposition, often make men brave and women chaste.

Great men's honor ought always to be measured by the methods they made use of in attaining it.

We forget our faults easily when they are known to ourselves alone.