None deserve praise for being good who have not the spirit to be bad: goodness, for the most part, is nothing but indolence or weakness of will.

To establish ourselves in the world, we have to do all we can to appear established. To succeed in the world, we do everything we can to appear successful.

People are often vain of their passions, even of the worst, but envy is a passion so timid and shame-faced that no one ever dare avow her.

We never desire strongly, what we desire rationally.

Behind many acts that are thought ridiculous there lie wise and weighty motives.

The sure way to be cheated is to think one's self more cunning than others.

In great affairs we ought to apply ourselves less to creating chances than to profiting from those that offer.