There are various sorts of curiosity; one is from interest, which makes us desire to know that which may be useful to us; and the other, from pride which comes from the wish to know what others are ignorant of.

The height of cleverness is to be able to conceal it.

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

Few things are impossible in themselves: application to make them succeed fails us more often than the means.

When we exaggerate our friends' tenderness towards us, it is often less from gratitude than from a desire to exhibit our own virtue.

We do not like to praise, and seldom praise anyone without self-interest.

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