Men and things have each their proper perspective; to judge rightly of some it is necessary to see them near, of others we can never judge rightly but at a distance.

If one judges love by the majority of its effects, it is more like hatred than like friendship.

Only strong natures can really be sweet ones; those that seem sweet are in general only weak, and may easily turn sour.

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.

The exceeding delight we take in talking about ourselves should give us cause to fear that we are giving but very little pleasureto our listeners.

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

The cunningest dissimulation is when a man pretends to be caught in the traps others set for him; and a man is never so easily over-reached as when he is contriving to over-reach others.